Mizzou Survives Overtime Thriller vs. Wichita State to Remain Undefeated
Entering Tuesday's matchup with the Wichita State Shockers, the undefeated Missouri Tigers had yet to face a true test on the young season. Their 7-0 record should understandably be taken with a grain of salt.
But save rubbing that grain of salt into the fresh wound of losing for another time.
Mizzou (8-0) forced 20 turnovers and survived a 16-0 run in the second half to take down the Shockers (4-3) for an 88-84 overtime win on the road.
The Tigers were led by forward Noah Carter (20 points, eight rebounds) - who saw six of his points come in overtime - and guard D'Moi Hodge (19 points, six rebounds, four assists). Sean East II was also clutch in the late stages and finished with 17 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Mizzou shot just 7 of 33 from deep but had 16 steals and won the offensive rebounding battle 15-7.
Wichita State got a balanced scoring attack from its backcourt, as Jaykwon Walton (14 points, 10 rebounds), Xavier Bell (12 points), Craig Porter Jr. (14 points, seven rebounds, five assists) and Jaron Pierre Jr. (13 points) all reached double figures in scoring.
Missouri got off to a cold shooting start, but forced six Shocker turnovers in the first nine minutes. Only one of these trends managed to shift in a different direction for the rest of the first half.
D'Moi Hodge finally ended Mizzou's 1 of 8 cold streak from deep midway through the half, as the Tigers' leading scorer nailed a catch-and-shooter 3-pointer to give Missouri a 14-10 lead.
The Tigers had held Wichita State to a four-minute scoring drought at this point until Porter Jr. and Shammah Scott both scored to draw the Shockers level. But three more 3s from Hodge - who finished the half with four made 3s and a game-high 12 points - capped off Mizzou's hot end to the half despite an offensive response from the Shockers.
Behind a 13-3 win in the turnover department, the Tigers led 43-36 headed into the locker room.
But the "tale of two halves" cliche couldn't have been more fitting headed into the second half.
After Hodge added a quick layup, the Shockers took over behind a 16-0 run that was sparked by guards Jaykwon Walton and Xavier Bell. Mizzou forward Kobe Brown, who sat most of the first half due to foul trouble, finally broke the run after a hard drive in the paint ended a six-minute scoring drought for the Tigers and began a 6-0 run for the good guys.
Back-to-back 3s from Wichita State's Jaron Pierre Jr. highlighted a second strong run, as the Shockers put together a 12-2 run to take a 66-56 lead with a little over five minutes left.
But on the shoulders of six straight points from Carter and clutch shot-making from East II, Mizzou rose from the dead late to take a 72-71 lead with two minutes left.
Hodge had a chance to take the lead on a pair of free throws with 10 seconds left, but split the pair to tie the game at 75-75 and force overtime.
The extra five minutes was all the Tigers needed to pull away, as a breakaway dunk from Carter all but sealed the win for Mizzou to keep the undefeated season alive.
The Tigers will host Southeast Missouri State on Sunday at 3 p.m. CT.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
Hey Tiger fans! Want to catch Mizzou live? Get your Tigers game tickets from SI Tickets here!
Follow MizzouSportsTalk.com on Facebook and Twitter!
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Tigers? Check Out The Latest In Mizzou Tigers News Here
Want even more Missouri Tigers News? Check out the SI.com team page here