University of Missouri
7-7, 1-0
LSU
11-3, 0-1
Mizzou Holds Off LSU, 74-67, in Overtime SEC Opener
1/8/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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COLUMBIA, Mo. - After trailing by as many as 11 points, Mizzou basketball rallied to a 74-67, overtime win over LSU on Thursday night (Jan. 8) at Mizzou Arena. Sophomore guard Wes Clark and senior forward Keanau Post were excellent complements to sophomore Johnathan Williams III, who tallied his ninth consecutive game with at least 15 points and eight boards. He finished with a game-high 21 points and 10 boards, good for his sixth career double-double. Mizzou outscored LSU, 9-2, in overtime and held LSU without a point the final 2:44 of the game. Mizzou improves to 7-7 on the year and is now 1-0 in SEC play. The win snaps an eight-game winning streak for LSU, which is now 11-2.
Clark added 13 points and was clutch down the stretch, hitting big shot after big shot. Post tallied a season-high 12 points and grabbed seven boards. The trio of Williams III, Clark and Post was joined in double-figures by senior guard Keith Shamburger, who hit free throws down the stretch and finished with 10 points. Freshman Namon Wright added nine points, doing so on a trio of triples in the first half.
FINAL: #Mizzou scores the last nine points of overtime with the help of a game-high 21 and 10 from J3. #MIZ! pic.twitter.com/UrtSE2k0Gx
-- Mizzou Basketball (@MizzouHoops) January 9, 2015
The Tigers did a great job defensively on LSU, limiting the visiting Tigers to 67 points, the seventh consecutive game that Mizzou has held its opponent to less than 75 points, a span that includes two overtime games. Mizzou slowed LSU's two leading scorers - Jarell Martin and Jordan Mickey. The two came in averaging a combined 34.5 total points (18.2 and 16.3 respectively) and finished the game with just 18 total points (nine each). Mizzou also did a nice job of defending the paint. LSU came into Thursday's contest averaging 41.8 points per game in the paint and Mizzou limited LSU to a season-low 24. In fact, the Tigers were just the second team to outscore LSU in the paint this season, holding a 36-24 edge. LSU had outscored its opponents in the paint in 12 consecutive games and was averaging 43.8 in its eight-game winning streak. LSU had 58 and 54 points in the paint in each of its last two games.
Mizzou started the game strong, forcing four LSU turnovers and holding the opposing Tigers to 1-for-7 shooting at the two teams were tied at 6-6 at the first media timeout. But LSU went on an 11-0 run over the next 2:15 until a Post layup stopped the run and pulled the Tigers within nine at 17-8.
Wright then hit back-to-back 3-pointers and the Tigers all of a sudden had hit their last three shots and were down just five at 19-15. Wright had hit just two 3-pointers over his previous two games before using the back-to-back triples to pull the Tigers back into the game.
Mizzou, led by six points from Post on a 10-run, took the lead at 22-20 with a monster put-back slam by Williams III. The 10-point run was again cued by great defense as the Tigers held LSU without a field goal (0-for-6) and forced four turnovers in that span. But LSU countered with a quick 7-0 run to regain a five-point lead at 27-22. Jakeenan Gant then ran the floor in transition for a slam with less than a minute remaining in the half to pull the Tigers within three at 30-27 at the break.
LSU got a big And-1 early in the half and Martin then hit a free throw to give LSU a 34-27 two minutes onto the second half. But the Tigers went on a 9-0 run which included dazzling play from Clark. First, he grabbed a rebound on the defensive end and found a wide-open Williams III for dunk and then drained a 3-pointer to put Mizzou on top, 36-34, with 16:00 minutes remaining. He also hit a pair of free throws in that span, accounting for five of the nine points and assisting on two more.
Things went back-and-forth from there and Post provided plenty of dynamite in the post for Mizzou, with three rim-rattling dunks as the Tigers opened a 44-43 lead with 10:27 remaining in the game. LSU then made its next seven shots from the field to open a 54-49 lead at the under-eight timeout. Much of that run was with Williams the II on the bench with three fouls.
Tramaine Isabell and Clark then sandwiched a pair of 3-pointers around an LSU layup to pull Mizzou within one at 56-55 with less than five minutes remaining. Clark then hit a floater in the lane after Mizzou forced an LSU turnover to give Mizzou a 57-56 lead with 4:03 remaining, prompting an LSU timeout.
Clark then hit a huge pull-up 3-pointer to give Mizzou a 60-56 lead with 3:33 left. LSU then pulled within a point after a 3-pointer by Keith Hornsby, but a clutch 3-pointer by Shamburger then gave Mizzou a 63-59 edge with 2:06 left. But LSU had a late run, pulling within one on a layup by Jalyn Patterson. LSU held on the defensive end, but the Tigers forced a turnover and got the ball back with 44.2 second left. Williams then hit a shot to put Mizzou up 65-62, but LSU got a game-tying 3-pointer from Hornsby with 10 seconds left, sending the game into overtime.
Overtime was very low-scoring with each team combining for just five points with one minute remaining, however Williams III had all three Tiger points as they led 68-67. Shamburger was then fouled and extended his free-throw streak to 23 consecutive makes. LSU did not score in the final 2:44 of overtime and the Tigers hit free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
Mizzou will be back in action this Saturday (Jan. 10) when it heads to Auburn to face first-year head coach Bruce Pearl and the Auburn Tigers at 6 p.m. (CT) on SEC Network.
