Last week in Brooklyn, Florida showed that it could disrupt Pitt’s offense by getting physical with the Panthers, particularly in the back court.

Oregon State couldn’t quite match that success, but when Pitt returned to the Petersen Events Center on Tuesday night, Missouri tried it again, and it worked for the Tigers, who beat the Panthers 71-64.

Missouri’s approach of blitzing Pitt in the offensive half court was an effective one, as the Panthers never seemed to be able to find the shots it wanted. Pitt attempted 25 three-pointers in the game - five shy of their season average - and never seemed to be able to generate open shots inside the arc or manufacture driving opportunities.

As a result, the Panthers had to rely largely on the free throw line for points. Pitt made just four field goals in the final 16 minutes of the game; the Panthers only kept themselves in the game because they made eight free throws in that stretch. And while Federiko Federiko missed the front end of a one-and-one twice and Blake Hinson made 2-of-4 in the final minutes, Pitt made 25-of-31 from the line in the game.

Hinson finished with a game-high 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting and a 5-of-8 rate from three, but he and Bub Carrington were the only Pitt players to make more than two baskets. Carrington scored 13 points on 4-of-14 shooting, and he added seven rebounds and four assists. Ishmael Leggett also had seven rebounds, but Pitt got out-rebounded 36-33 and only grabbed nine offensive rebounds, leading to just 13 second-chance points and cutting out an area that had generated a lot of scoring for the Panthers so far this season.

On the other end, Missouri shot 45% from the floor and made eight three-pointers in addition to scoring 30 points in the paint. But the biggest issue was Pitt’s offense; the Panthers made 16 baskets in the game and just six in the second half.

The game was largely back-and-forth throughout the night, with 15 lead changes between the two teams. Pitt led by as many as six points in the first half, but Missouri took a three-point lead into halftime. In the second half, Pitt led 44-42 before the drought started at the 16-minute mark. And while the Tigers extended the lead to as many as seven several times in the second half, the Panthers got it down to two points in the final three minutes thank to a pair of three’s from Hinson.

Pitt (5-2) will be back on the court Sunday to face Clemson in the ACC opener at the Petersen Events Center.