COLUMBIA, Mo. — Without their starting center for the first time this season, the depleted No. 10 Missouri Tigers made enough plays to take Arkansas to overtime Saturday but couldn’t finish off the Razorbacks in an 86-81 loss at Mizzou Arena.
The defeat marked the first time this season MU dropped consecutive games and MU’s first loss in a game decided by five points or fewer.
The Tigers (13-5, 6-5 Southeastern Conference) were shorthanded in the frontcourt in a major way. Senior center Jeremiah Tilmon, in the midst of the best season of his career, took a leave of absence following a death in the family, the team confirmed 30 minutes before the game started. With Javon Pickett limited to just eight minutes and Kobe Brown slowed by what appeared to be a leg cramp, Mizzou’s depth was tested like never before this season.
But still, Parker Braun’s reverse layup with nine seconds left in regulation evened the score at 73. Braun wasn’t done. He blocked Davonte Davis’ baseline jumper on the next series to send the game into overtime.
In OT, Pinson’s three-point play gave the Tigers a 79-78 lead, their first lead since midway through the second half. But Arkansas regained the lead on a couple Moses Moody free throws, followed by two Mark Smith free throws to put MU back in front.
With 35 seconds left, it was Arkansas’ turn. This time, Davis knifed to the rim on a backdoor cut to put the Hogs back in front, 82-81.
Dru Smith found an open lane on MU’s next possession and was credited with the go-ahead basket on a goaltending call, but the points came off the board after a long replay review, giving the Tigers possession with 21 seconds left. Dru Smith looked for Braun on the ensuing series but couldn’t get off a clean pass, resulting in a turnover and quick foul. Moody extended the lead to three with two more free throws, but MU could only manage a contested Pinson 3 from the corner on the next possession.
Pinson finished with a team-high 23 points, while Dru Smith added 15.
The win was the sixth straight in SEC play for surging Arkansas (16-5, 8-4). Justin Smith led the Hogs with 19 points.
Tilmon, a strong All-SEC candidate, has averaged career-high figures for scoring (12.8 points per game), rebounds (7.8), blocks (1.4) and shooting percentage (62.7). Starting in Tilmon’s place, senior Mitchell Smith christened the game with two 3-pointers in the opening minutes as the Tigers sprinted to a 10-4 lead before the first media timeout.
Mitchell Smith picked up his two fouls midway through the first half, giving Braun and forward Kobe Brown chances to play more minutes at center. With Pinson out of the game with his second foul midway through the half, the Tigers got a much-needed spark from Torrence Watson, who’s been buried at the end of the bench all season but hit two corner 3-pointers to extend MU’s lead. Watson came into the game with just three 3s this season — and hadn’t connected from deep since the calendar turned to 2021. Watson finished with a season-high nine points.
Watson’s 3s were part of a torrid stretch for the Tigers, who connected on five straight shots to take their biggest lead of the half, 27-18.
Arkansas scored the first six points of the second half to take its first lead since the opening minutes and turned it into a 13-5 run with 7-foot-3 center Connor Vanover scoring seven of those points.
With Pinson back to the bench with his third foul, the Tigers kept up with Arkansas with back-to-back 3s from Drew Buggs, his first of the year after 10 straight misses, then another from Watson.
Arkansas pushed ahead by six with a Justin Smith alley-oop dunk, but Mizzou followed with two Dru Smith 3-pointers to even the score, giving the Tigers a season-high 12 3-pointers for the day.
Then the fouls started to further deplete Mizzou’s lineup. Mitchell Smith got whistled for his fourth in traffic under the basket. Then Pinson picked up his fourth trying to box out the 7-3 Vanover under the rim.
Martin brought both Mitchell Smith and Pinson back into the game at the final media timeout of regulation. Pinson knocked down his fifth 3-pointer to keep the Tigers within two, keeping the Tigers at bay for their latest dramatic finish.
