The Missouri Tigers were riding a 29-game winning streak at home and looked to add to that total as they took on the Kansas State Wildcats. The Wildcats came into the game knowing they couldn’t give in to the Missouri Tigers’ pressure defense.

Missouri played into Kansas State’s game-plan early with rushed offense and it nearly paid off in the end. The Wildcats pressured Missouri early and came up with several defensive plays. However, the Kansas State offense was rattled early by the rowdy Missouri fans and struggled, turning the ball over several times. The Wildcat defense kept the game close and the Wildcats eventually got things rolling on offense.

Jacob Pullen found his spots in the zone early, getting three open looks and making them count. In the first half the Wildcats had balanced scoring as Samuels, Clemente, and Pullen all got off to good starts.

However, after mounting a 10-point lead in the first half, the Wildcats allowed a 15-2 Missouri run that put the Tigers up 36-33 at halftime. The Wildcats missed their last eleven shots to end the half and the momentum was effectively shifted in the Tigers’ favor.

The Wildcats wanted to play fast but not let the pressure speed them up. The game was highly-contested throughout the first half, but both teams battled for the full 40 minutes. The Wildcats came in knowing that they needed to dominate the boards, but in the first half the Tigers out-rebounded the Wildcats.

The Wildcats were unable to effectively force the action, turning Missouri over just six times in the first stanza. The Tigers spent a lot of time at the free throw line in the first half as they had 21 attempts. However, they only converted 13 of those. The Tigers attempted just two more field goals than free throws in the fist half.

Knowing that they could not come out flat after halftime, the Wildcats were determined to come out strong. Unfortunately, they could not contain the Tigers’ offense. The Tigers’ defensive pressure started to get to the Wildcats and resulted in several key turnovers. Frank Martin’s Wildcats continued to fight in the second half, and the game never got out of hand.

Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente did a commendable job leading the Wildcats in the second half. They both knew it would take their best game in order to overcome Missouri’s suffocating pressure defense. But it would prove to not be enough as Missouri escaped with a 6-point victory to extend their home winning streak to 30 games.

Momentum appeared to shift in Kansas State’s favor when Clemente knocked down a three pointer from the wing and immediately followed it up with a runner in the lane, stretching the Wildcats’ lead to 5 with 9 minutes left in the game. The Wildcats’ defensive intensity began to pay off as they forced the Tigers offense into 5 straight turnovers.

As many expected, the game went to the wire. It seemed as though the Wildcats might be in a position to put the game away for good at the 3-minute mark when Pullen made a nice pass to Samuels who converted it into a three-point play. However, costly turnovers and poor defense allowed the Tigers to take the lead for good with one minute left in the game. Pullen and Missouri’s Zaire Taylor traded electrifying three-point baskets with under a minute and the Tigers led by 3 points with 33.3 seconds left in the game.

Pullen made a desperation three-point shot attempt which barely drew iron but Dominique Sutton was there to collect the rebound and put it back up for an easy 2 points. The Tigers increased the lead to 4 after two more trips to the foul line. Trying to drive to the basket with less than 15 seconds remaining in the game, Clemente turned the ball over and the Tigers took the ball down the court for a Lawrence Bowers dunk, sealing the Missouri win by 6 points.

This loss for the Wildcats can likely be attributed to the lack of defensive effectiveness by the Wildcats late in the game. The Wildcats allowed 13 points in the final 3 minutes and rebounded the ball a dismal 26 times, a season low. Additionally, the Wildcats turned the ball over 20 times and scored a season-low 68 points against the Tigers. The Missouri Tigers handed the Wildcats their second loss of the season and extended their home winning streak to 30 games, the second longest active streak in the country. Bowers was the hero for Missouri, scoring 14 points and collecting 8 rebounds off the bench.

The Wildcats return for their second conference game of the season against Texas A&M on Tuesday, January 12th at 6PM. The game will be televised on ESPN2.