After the Missouri Tigers men’s basketball team lost two straight games on the road to unranked teams, they were determined to come back home to Mizzou Arena and start a new winning streak
That’s exactly what the Tigers were able to do, as they beat the 25th ranked Arkansas Razorbacks 79-76 on Wednesday night to halt the two-game skid. The Tigers beat their third ranked opponent in the process, and also beat their SEC rivals for the first time in six meetings. That stretch included the loss that the Tigers suffered to Arkansas in Fayetteville last month.
However, Arkansas made Mizzou work for every single second of the game. The game started slow offensively for the Tigers with Mizzou scoring a mere five points in the first 12 minutes. They also missed their first seven shots from the floor. The Tigers responded with a quick 10-3 run to tie the game with eight minutes to play in the half, as Mo Diarra and Aidan Shaw made three pointers to ignite Mizzou’s offense.
It would stay tight all the way through halftime, as Mizzou was able to get important contributions from Isiaih Mosley. Mosley, a transfer from Missouri State, scored eight points in the first half in his first appearance for the Tigers in SEC play. The Razorbacks would take a one-point lead into the break, after Davonte Davis drained a three with four seconds to play in the half.
The second half provided more cagey, tight action, but the Razorbacks were able to fight ahead. A 15-5 run midway through the second half gave Arkansas a 10-point lead that they held with five minutes to play. Some fans at the near-capacity crowd at Mizzou Arena left early to beat the traffic.
But the Tigers didn’t give up. They rallied a 10-0 run themselves to tie the game up with two and a half minutes to play. The run was led by Mizzou guard DeAndre Gholston, who hit a three pointer and a fadeaway jumper to tie the game at 71 each. Gholston finished with 16 points, which was second to Kobe Brown, who had 17 points to lead Mizzou in scoring.
Mizzou would not make a field goal for the final minute of the game. Instead, they made eight free throws out of eight in order to get over the edge against the Razorbacks. Those would just be a sample of the 40 free throws that the Tigers shot in this game (they made 30). The referees called the game tight, with 56 total fouls being called in the game. This didn’t help the Razorbacks either, as three of their starters fouled out late in the game.
A late steal by Nick Honor would give the Tigers the breathing room they needed to seal the win, and split the season series with the Razorbacks. Mizzou only led for nine minutes in the entire game. They also won without the services of forward Noah Carter and center Mabor Majak, who were both ruled out due to “health and safety precautions.”
Next up for the Missouri Tigers is a home matchup on Saturday against the fourth ranked team in the nation, Alabama. The Crimson Tide will come into Mizzou Arena on a seven-game winning streak, and an undefeated record on the road.