No. 15 Texas falls to Missouri 82-77 for sixth loss in 9 games

Texas’ slide continues with 82-77 loss to Missouri

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Kim English scored 18 points and Keith Ramsey added 12 points and 11 rebounds for his first career double-double as Missouri beat No. 15 Texas 82-77 on Wednesday night.

Jordan Hamilton led the Longhorns (20-6, 6-5) with 24 points off the bench and Damion James added 18 points and 11 rebounds as the team ranked No. 1 for two weeks in mid-January lost for the sixth time in nine games and fell into a sixth-place tie in the Big 12.

Missouri (19-7, 7-4) raced to an 8-0 lead in the first two minutes as Texas turned the ball over on its first three possessions. The gap grew to 11-1 less than three minutes in, giving Missouri enough of a cushion to take a 32-31 halftime lead despite shooting just 30 percent for the half and making only one of its nine 3-point attempts.

Texas took a one-point lead early in the second half as the teams traded points with six lead changes before English had 11 points in a six-minute spurt to break it open. Missouri led by 12 before Texas made three 3-pointers in the final 44 seconds.

Missouri, which often relies on the 3-point shot as its primary offensive weapon, won despite tying its season low with just two treys on 13 attempts. The Tigers average eight 3-pointers per game on 38 percent shooting from outside the arc.

English, Missouri’s leading scorer, relied on an array of crowd-pleasing moves during his second-half scoring flurry. He hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key, a left-handed layup, an acrobatic double-clutch and hit two free throws after he was fouled on a hard drive.

He capped the display with an alley-oop to 6-foot-1 Michael Dixon, who converted the shot and subsequent free throw after being fouled.

Texas center Dexter Pittman, at 6-foot-10 the tallest player on the court, didn’t attempt a field goal and was held to just two points and four rebounds. He spent much of the second half on the bench in foul trouble.

Ramsey, hobbled by a sprained ankle and held scoreless the past two games, had two of his biggest rebounds on consecutive putbacks under the four-minute mark to help Missouri break the game open. Michael Dixon added 13 points for Missouri, which moves into a three-way tie for third place in the Big 12 with Baylor and Texas A&M.

Texas committed 18 turnovers and attempted just two free throws in the second half after converting eight of 17 in the first half. The Longhorns, who made 46.2 percent of their shots compared to 43.1 percent for Missouri, lost for the first time this season when shooting better than their opponent.

Freshman Avery Bradley added 15 points and seven rebounds for the Longhorns.

The win was the Tigers’ third straight over Texas, the longest such streak since Norm Stewart patrolled the sidelines at Missouri more than a decade ago.