Mizzou hoops falls to Florida in SEC Tournament quarterfinal action

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (KMIZ)

Mizzou hoops couldn't topple the giant twice in one season.

The No. 7-seeded Tigers fell to No. 2-seeded Florida, 95-81 , on Friday night to bring their SEC Tournament run to a close in the quarterfinal round.

You can watch the full postgame locker room interviews with multiple players in the video players below.

No. 2-seeded Florida set the tempo for Friday night's game off the jump at Bridgestone Arena. The Gators went on a 10-0 run to start the action, nailing two shots from beyond the arc in that stretch. Although MU managed to make it a competitive game throughout, that 10-point hole came back to bite them in the end.

Walter Clayton Jr. was the difference-maker for Florida, as he drilled three of the Gators' nine triples. The senior ended up with 18 points, along with six assists. His teammate Alijah Martin was right behind him in scoring with 17 points on the night. in fact, as the Tigers came close to tying up the game in the second half, sitting with a 64-60 deficit in hand, Martin capped off 10-4 run with a monstrous slam to force an MU timeout.

After that scoring run, the Gators kept it out of reach for the Tigers.

Mizzou spread the love in the scoring department. Four Tigers got into double-figures, with Tamar Bates leading the charge for the second-straight night with 16 points.

The Tigers cut the deficit multiple times, even getting within four of the Gators at a couple points. However, with each momentum play for head coach Dennis Gates' squad came an equal response from Florida.

The Gators managed to out-rebound and out-shoot MU, but Gates' team did manage to win the turnover battle in the loss.

Up next - Mizzou will head back to Columbia to await its NCAA Tournament fate. The NCAA Selection Show is set to begin at 5 p.m. CT on Sunday, March 16.