WATCH: Missouri misses layup at buzzer, hits OT winner vs. Mississippi State
Tuesday’s matchup between Mississippi State and Missouri was an exciting and thrilling matchup that went down to the wire. And the game was so compelling that it required an extra period to decide the outcome. But the extra five minutes of overtime almost didn’t happen, as the Tigers had a chance to win it at the buzzer but could not convert.
In the final moments of the game, Missouri had a near-perfect opportunity to win with an inbound play from underneath Mississippi State’s basket. Tigers head coach Dennis Gates drew up a great play that was executed to near perfection. Missouri wing Kobe Brown rolled off of a screen in the paint and was left practically uncontested at the basket. Unfortunately, he was too wide open as he missed the gimme layup, which led to a 57-57 tie at the end of the regulation, and they trip into overtime.
Fortunately, Missouri was able to finish the job off in the extra period outscoring Mississippi State 10-8 to win the game 66-64. still, the fumbled attempt at the game-winning layup can be seen in the video below.
Despite the miss, Brown had a solid night for the Tigers. The six-foot-eight senior from Huntsville, AL, finished the contest as the games leading scorer with 17 points on 6-17 shooting from the field.
Nick Honor saves the day for Missouri with three-point basket
The Tigers had another moment, this time in overtime, to make a critical shot. And boy, did they ever. Missouri senior guard Nick Honor came up with a huge three-point basket with less than 10 seconds remaining to give them a two-point lead over Mississippi State. Honor showed that he has NBA range in his bag as he delivered a crossover sidestep three from well beyond the three-point line. And that spectacular shot can be seen in the video below.
The win improves Missouri’s record to 20-8 on the season and 8-7 in conference play. The Tigers may not have a chance at the SEC’s regular season championship, with Alabama and Texas A&M atop the standings with only one and two losses, respectively, in conference play. But given the way they have played this year, Missouri will be a dangerous team in the SEC tournament and the NCAA tournament to end the season.
So long as they make their gimme layups.