MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Missouri basketball did a little sleight of hand with forwards Trent Pierce and Aidan Shaw.

First you see them, then you don’t.

Pierce and Shaw combined for 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting in the first half of the Tigers’ season-opening game against Memphis on Monday, helping Mizzou take a 10-point lead into the half.

Then, Pierce didn’t see the court until there was less than seven minutes of game time left. Shaw had played just two more minutes to that point. By that time, Memphis had turned the tide and had the lead. Memphis ran out to a 83-75 win in FedEx Forum.

More: Missouri basketball final score: Mizzou plays out familiar scene, loses opener at Memphis

It seemed inexplicable. Pierce and Shaw had provided most of the first half’s signature moments, and Missouri seemingly had Memphis on the ropes.

Then, they sat. And sat. And sat.

And Missouri’s lead fizzled, frittered and fell.

Asked about it postgame, Gates had a reason for the rotation change.

“Just in terms of the momentum of the game, we ended up executing some things in that first half that I thought should have taken place in that second (half) but, you know, it's just the way the game goes sometimes,” Gates said. “I thought those two guys (Shaw and Pierce) did give us good minutes, don't get me wrong. But also, ball handling was more important in that second half.

“Because we ended up going with (point guards) Ant Robinson and Tony Perkins at the same time, and that kind of didn't allow us to go with that same rotation.”

Gates isn’t wrong. Pierce had nine turnovers to one assist last season, and Shaw has 29 giveaways to 10 assists over the course of his MU career. They are not Missouri’s primary ball-handlers.

And ball-handling did become a premium. Missouri went with the in-game adjustment to meet Memphis’ more aggressive, full- and half-court defense. Memphis coach Penny Hardaway’s team hadn’t shown that in the first half. They did in the second period.

But Mizzou didn’t exactly take care of the ball without Shaw and Pierce, either.

Robinson gave Missouri excellent minutes and finished the game with 16 points, seven assists, three steals and just one turnover in his first start as a Missouri player.

But other than that, Missouri was having a hard time taking care of the ball.

Guard Caleb Grill gave the ball away four times in the second half as Memphis got aggressive. Duke transfer Mark Mitchell turned it over three times after the half, including on back-to-back possessions late in the game that Memphis turned directly into four points to pull away.

“You know, they pressed some (in the first half). A little bit. But again, we made it difficult because we took care of the basketball,” Gates said. “We did not have any inbound turnovers in that first half; we ended up with only three turnovers; I think 11, 12 assists in that first half. But, now, four assists to 11 turnovers (in the second half), and that's just the tale of the game. You can't do that.”

Did Mizzou’s coaching staff overthink it?

Neither Pierce nor Shaw had a half of basketball last year quite like their first 20 minutes in Memphis.

Pierce stepped into transition 3s and pump-faked past defenders into deft finishes at the rim en route to 10 first-half points. He found three more points in his five minutes of court time in the second half to finish with a career-high 13 on the opening day of his sophomore season.

Shaw dropped his first shot from 3-point land since March 1, 2023, in the first half. He followed that up shortly after with a signature alley-oop dunk, but that, unusually, was the outlier in his offensive output. He was a perfect 4-of-4 from the field for 9 points after difficulties in that region last season, and most of that required more than his exceptional vertical leap.

Then, they watched from the sideline as the lead disappeared.

It all adds up to — dating back to last season — Missouri’s 20th straight loss. Gates’ team has not won a game since Dec. 30, 2023, against Central Arkansas, meaning the Tigers still haven’t won a game in the calendar year 2024.

There were marked improvements, especially in the first half. Missouri’s zone defense created havoc in the first half. The Tigers’ fast-break offense, for a significant amount of time, received no answer from the Memphis defense. Mizzou looks longer, more athletic and versatile all over the court. The loss is by no means a season-wrecker.

But … it’s a familiar feeling walking out of FedEx Forum.

“I thought our guys played — you know, they played a good game. We ended up losing a game that we led for 25 minutes, … and that's how you got to look at it,” Gates said. “We can't allow those short spurts to get away from us (the way) we did.”

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Trent Pierce, Aidan Shaw sit second half in Missouri basketball loss