COLUMBIA, Mo. – It was a tale of two halves for the Wofford men's basketball team on Monday night, falling to the Missouri Tigers 75-56 at Mizzou Arena.

The Tigers shot 54.9 percent from the floor for the game and went 9-for-23 from 3-point range, while the Terriers, who were shooting 50 percent from the floor and only down five points at the break, shot just 19 percent in the second half, going 6-of-22 from 3-point range and turning the ball over 16 times in the game.

"I thought we were good in the first half," Wofford head coach Jay McAuley. "They made some adjustments that we didn't handle too well, and we missed a few more shots in the second. But their pressure created a ton of turnovers and easy buckets in transition."

Nathan Hoover scored a season-high 21 points and grabbed five rebounds while Storm Murphy totaled 10 points and three steals in the effort. Chevez Goodwin, who would ultimately foul out, scored 10 points and grabbed a season-high seven rebounds in 23 minutes of play, as Wofford outrebounded Missouri 31 to 23 overall.

"He's a guard that's been around a lot," McAuley said of Hoover. "I know he wishes he could have made a few more shots, but his aggressiveness and his ability to get to the line tonight was good."

With the loss, Wofford is now 2-3 on the season and will remain on the road, traveling to South Florida to take on the Bulls on Thursday at 7 p.m.

"I was really proud of how we handled certain stretches of both games," McAuley said of the team's last two games (at Butler, Missouri). "These two teams are top 10 defensive teams in the country. They showcase size, athleticism and the ability to switch up some defensive looks. I was really proud of how our guys handled stretches of both games, and I feel like we took a big step forward in rebound the basketball."

Murphy picked up where he left off to start the game, knocking down a 3-pointer to get Wofford on the board. The buckets were falling early for both teams, as the teams traded threes and Missouri took a 16-10 advantage before an 8-3 run by the Terriers made the Tiger lead just one point.

Ryan Larson stepped in and made an impact off the bench, drawing a pair of charges that led to a Hoover 3-pointer to give Wofford a 21-19 lead. Dru Smith and Missouri looked to put some distance between the two sides, pulling out to a seven-point advantage before Hoover set up Messiah Jones underneath to make the score 36-31 at the break.

The Terriers came out aggressive in the second, getting points from Stumpe, Goodwin, Murphy and Hoover to jump out in front 41-38. The sides would go back and forth before Xavier Pinson sparked a 7-0 run, putting the Tigers ahead 52-45.

"We were up 49-48, then the bottom fell out," McAuley said of the second half. "We missed some layups and some open looks, got frustrated and that led to some sill turnovers which they obviously converted at the other end."

Missouri remained in control, extending its advantage to 13 with just over seven minutes to play. Wofford turned to the full-court press in an effort to climb back into the game, but the Tigers were steady, pushing the lead to the game's final margin of 19.