Live Blog of Mizzou at Texas A&M

Every game seems like a desperation one at this point in the season for the Missouri Tigers.

The same was to be said for their road trip to face Texas A&M, which plays a frantic and explosive brand of basketball. That pace brought this game to the final moments, with the Tigers storming back in the second half.

Everything came down to center Shawn Phillips Jr., who received a lob from forward Mark Mitchell with 17 seconds remaining to give the Tigers the lead. A stop on the other end of the floor delivered a win with a final score of 86-85.

Trent Pierce was the hero of this game for the Tigers. He finished with 23 points and nine rebounds on 10-for-15 shooting, doing everything in a variety of ways. His points in the paint and ability to use his length on the glass were one of the main reasons for a Missouri win. This was arguably the best game Pierce has played all season.

Texas A&M had a ridiculously good offensive first half, shooting 65.4-percent from the field and 64.7-percent from the three-point line, making 11 in total. The second half was a completely different story, shooting 37.5-percent from the field and 25-percent from the perimeter. This alone allowed the Tigers to get back into this game.

The speed at which the Aggies plauyed with clearly threw off Dennis Gates and the Tigers. The No. 27 team in the country in adjusted average tempo looked as quick as the wind on Wednesday night and even when Missouri would score, Texas A&M’s guards would be down the court in position to score before they could set up a defense.

Missouri’s advantage was its physicality, which really showed up in the paint and on the glass. The Tigers won the rebounding battle 39-26, recording an impressive 16 offensive rebounds. They also won the points on the paint battle 56-28.

The Tigers were also able to score 14 points off of their offensive rebounds compared to only two from Texas A&M. The interior was the main source of their offense in a variety of ways, whether it was guards getting downhill or Mitchell and Phillips being big down low.

Sophomore guard T.O. Barrett was a key part of that, finishing with 17 points on 8-for-13 shooting, along with three rebounds and four assists. He played stout defense and was a true offensive commander.

Leading the way for Texas A&M was forward Zach Clemence, finishing with 20 points, two rebounds and three assists on 8-for-10 shooting. Guard Rylan Griffin also finished with 17 points and five rebounds.

Missouri has been in multiple late-game situations this season, with a mixture of results to follow. This one, however, automatically becomes the best. It’s also the best win the Tigers have recorded since beating Kentucky on the road and it is a win that could change their NCAA Tournament hopes.

The Tigers play next at 7 p.m. on Saturday against the Texas Longhorns at Mizzou Arena.

Live Updates

Second Half

FINAL - Missouri

1:21 - Missouri 84, Texas A&M 85

Both teams have seemingly forgotten how to play defense. There have been seven lead changes over the last four minutes of basketball and neither team has been able to get a stop. It feels like the last team to score might win this one and it's quickly become a game that's very attainable for both sides.

6:05 - Missouri 76, Texas A&M 74

The Aggies are right back in this game after a few empty offensive trips down the floor for Missouri and a triple from forward Zach Clemence. Clemence has 16 points and has sneakily been a key reason for Texas A&M's closeness in this game.

7:54 - Missouri 74, Texas A&M 66

Pierce and Barrett continue to dominate on offense and the glass for the Tigers. At the same time, Texas A&M has only made one of its last 11 field goals. The Tigers are wreaking havoc on both sides of the ball and taking advantage of all the opportunities heading their way.

10:00 - Missouri 68, Texas A&M 64

The Tigers have now comfortably sat in the lead over the last few minutes. Most of that is on the back of Trent Pierce, who's up to 17 points and seven rebounds on the night. He's been a difference maker on both sides of the ball.

12:42 - Missouri 62, Texas A&M 59

Missouri took its first lead since the early stages of the first half. The Tigers have got stops and are finding easy looks on offense, allowing them to jump ahead.

14:51 - Missouri 54 , Texas A&M 57

Both teams are scrapping for points to start the second half and the Tigers can make it a one-point game with a perfect Anthony Robinson free-throw trip following a timeout. Missouri is doing what it needs to in order to potentially take a lead.

First Half

First Half Stats

HALF: Missouri 41, Texas A&M 46

3:30 - Missouri 36, Texas A&M 38

Jayden Stone has started to hit some shots for the Tigers, but the Aggies are still scoring at an efficient and frantic pace. Missouri went down by as much as seven, but has battled back.

6:29 - Missouri 27, Texas A&M 32

Texas A&M is doing an excellent job of creating open perimeter shots by attacking the rim. The Aggies are still making those shots and that's the primary reason for pulling ahead.

8:15 - Missouri 27, Texas A&M 29

Missouri is winning the rebounding battle 11-4 right now. The flip side of that is the Aggies are shooting 68.8-percent from the field and 70-percent from the three-point line. Rebounding doesn't matter much when a team has only missed five shots.

11:51 - Missouri 20, Texas A&M 20

Now it's T.O. Barrett's turn to get some buckets. He has six points, two rebounds, an assist and a block to start the game. At the same time, Texas A&M's pace on offense has thrown off the Missouri defense.

14:38 - Mizzou 13, Texas A&M 16

Both teams are hot on offense to start, with the Aggies hitting four early threes and Missouri forward Trent Pierce scoring eight. It's clear that the tempo in this game will be high and that it could be a high-scoring game.

Pre Game

Starting Lineups

Missouri	Texas A&M
G- T.O. Barrett	G- Marcus HIll
G- Jayden Stone	G- Rylen Griffin
F- Trent Pierce	G- Jacari Lane
F- Mark Mitchell	F- Ruben Dominguez
C- Shawn Phillips Jr.	F- Rashaun Agee

Availability Reports

Missouri
G Annor Boateng - OUT
F Jevon Porter - OUT

It's still no Porter and Boateng for the Tigers. Boateng has obviously been ruled out for the remainder of the season and Porter's status is still up in the air. Missouri will have senior big man Shawn Phillips Jr. back for a second straight game.

Texas A&M
F Mackenzie Mgbako - OUT

Mgbako missed the first five games of the season with a foot injury and appeared in only seven total games before being ruled out for the remainder of the season with the same injury.

How to Watch

Who: Missouri (16-7, 6-4 SEC) vs. Texas A&M (17-6, 7-3 SEC)

When: Wednesday, Feb. 11, 8 p.m.

Where: Reed Arena, College Station, Texas

TV: SEC Network

Radio: Tiger Radio Network (Mike Kelly, Color: Chris Gervino)

SiriusXM: Missouri - 382, Texas A&M - 383

Series: Texas A&M leads 20-27.

Last Time Out, Missouri: The Tigers picked up a road win against South Carolina, winning 78-59. Missouri dominated nearly the entire game, fueled by 20 points, 11 rebounds and five assists from senior forward Mark Mitchell.

Last Time Out, Texas A&M: The Florida Gators came to College Station and squashed any hopes of a potential upset, winning 86-67. The Aggies shot 31-percent from the field and 26-percent from the three-point line in the struggle-filled affair.