Nick Honor stole Arkansas’ chance.
With 18 seconds left and Missouri up 73-71 against the No. 25 Razorbacks, Jalen Graham drove to the lane looking to tie the contest. Honor stripped the ball from Graham, leading to a pair of made free throws by Sean East II. East added two more free throws in the final seconds to seal a 79-76 win for the Tigers on Wednesday at Mizzou Arena.
After Arkansas (12-6, 1-5 Southeastern Conference) relied on a second-half comeback to beat Missouri in the teams’ first matchup on Jan. 4 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, the Tigers found success through an abundance of opportunities at the free-throw line, relied on key contributions from different personnel and maintained tenacious defense to avenge the loss to their border rivals.
“We try to come in every game and win of course, but just having this game, snapping our losing streak in front of our home crowd, especially against a rival like Arkansas, is big for us,” Kobe Brown said.
The Tigers (14-4, 3-3) trailed by as many as 10 points in the second half but tied it at 67 after East stole the ball from Kamani Johnson, leading to a 3-pointer from DeAndre Gholston on the other end.
Missouri’s ability to get to the free-throw line in transition was key, as both teams were able to draw fouls.
The Tigers and Razorbacks combined for 57 fouls and 66 free throws, and four Arkansas players fouled out.
One of those four was Razorbacks starter Jordan Walsh, who sat the bench for most of the second half with four fouls.
Walsh returned to help Arkansas take a 62-52 lead with two baskets, but Missouri quickly drew his fifth foul. Just one minute later, East drained a floater to bring the contest back within single digits with under six minutes to play. East continued a productive spell in the second half to finish with 12 points, two rebounds and two steals while shooting a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.
Both teams traded baskets and fouls in the second half. At one point, the Tigers endured an 8-0 run by Arkansas, which helped the Razorbacks open up a 55-49 lead.
Missouri overcome Arkansas’ height and physicality with its quick-tempo play on offense and solid defense. The Tigers resisted Arkansas’ defensive pressure and presence in the paint despite being without forward Noah Carter, who, along with Mabor Majak, were ruled out of Wednesday’s game because of health and safety protocols.
Carter’s absence also led the Tigers to benefit from important contributions from its bench.
Isiaih Mosley saw his first minutes of action since the Tigers’ win over UCF on Dec. 17. His first touch of the game earned a cheer from the raucous home crowd. Mosley finished with eight points, one rebound, one assist and two steals.
Mohamed Diarra also played extended minutes for the third straight game. Diarra found himself in foul trouble in the second half but still managed to log 10 minutes. He chipped in five points, one rebound and two steals.
When Arkansas went on runs, Missouri stayed in the game because of its defense and ability to take smart shots and get to the free-throw line. Late in the first half, Missouri forced back-to-back travel calls on Arkansas before Gholston was fouled on a crafty up-and-under and-1 layup. D’Moi Hodge later threw down a dunk in transition after another Razorbacks turnover.
Foul trouble became an issue for both sides from the jump. The Razorbacks finished with 33 team fouls, and Missouri made nine free throws in the opening period. The Tigers ran into foul trouble themselves, finishing with 12 fouls in both halves.
The Tigers refused to relent on defense, however. They showed a willingness to switch. One example was a play by Brown, who stepped out in isolation near half court, picked up a steal, raced the other way and converted a 3-point play.
Missouri forced a turnover on the Razorbacks’ next possession, which led to Brown drawing another foul. He sank a pair of free throws to cut Arkansas’ lead to 12-10.
“I think that’s the biggest thing in college basketball right now is the way you respond to things,” Gholston said. “Refereeing, runs, missed shots, bad defensive possessions; the way we respond to all of those things allows us to keep going, to keep fighting and helped us out tonight.”
In addition to East, Brown and Gholston finished in double figures.
Brown led the way with 17 points to go with six rebounds and two steals. Gholston passed the 1,000-career point mark and finished with 16 points for the game.
Missouri has an opportunity to earn back-to-back home wins against top-25 teams when the Tigers host No. 4 Alabama at 5 p.m. Saturday.
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