COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Jabari Brown drove the lane for the go-ahead basket with 12.2 seconds left for the last of his 25 points and Missouri survived a late surge by Arkansas for an 86-85 victory on Thursday night.

Jordan Clarkson had 27 points to lead Missouri (17-7, 5-6 SEC), which ended the first three-game losing streak of coach Frank Haith’s three seasons. The last two wins have come against the Razorbacks (15-9, 4-7) and former Missouri coach Mike Anderson, including a four-point win on the road Jan. 28.

Rashad Madden had 17 points for Arkansas, which scored 10 straight points to take an 85-83 lead with the go-ahead points on Mardracus Wade’s layup with 1:14 to go after Clarkson’s blown layup on the other end. Madden drove the lane for a shot that rolled out with two seconds to go.

Arkansas is 1-5 on the road and 3-23 in three seasons under Anderson. Alandise Harris added 16 points and Bobby Portis had 15 for the losers.

Missouri made its first 23 free throws to tie a single-game school record before Brown, who’d been 9 for 9, missed the first of two shots with 14:06 left. The Tigers set a school record with 27 in a row over two games, topping the previous best by one and set a season best by going 34 for 38 overall.

Brown was 14 for 15 and Clarkson was 11 for 13.

Missouri led by 11 early in the second half, trailed by four and regained an eight-point cushion with 3:40 to go before Arkansas’ 10-0 run with two points each from five players.

Missouri led 48-42 at the half with Brown (16 points) and Clarkson (12) carrying the load. The first-half scoring was a season best. Brown scored 10 straight points for the Tigers late in the half capped by a three-point play that made it 42-35 with 2:54 to go.

Attendance of 12,362 was a season best at Missouri, although more than 2,500 shy of capacity.

— Associated Press —

Missouri All-American Michael Sam says he is gay, and the defensive end could become the first openly homosexual player in the NFL.

In interviews with ESPN, The New York Times and Outsports that were published Sunday, Sam said his teammates and coaches at Missouri have known since August.

“I am an openly, proud gay man,” he said.

The 255-pound Sam participated in the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., last month after leading the SEC in sacks (11.5) and tackles for loss (19), and he is projected to be a mid-round NFL draft pick.

“It’s a big deal. No one has done this before. And it’s kind of a nervous process, but I know what I want to be … I want to be a football player in the NFL,” he said in the interviews.

There have been numerous NFL players who have come out after their playing days, including Kwame Harris and Dave Kopay.

Last year, NBA player Jason Collins announced he was gay after the season. Collins was a free agent and has not signed with a new team this season. MLS star and U.S. national team player Robbie Rogers also came out a year ago.

Division III Willamette kicker Conner Mertens, a redshirt freshman, said last month he was bisexual.

“We admire Michael Sam’s honesty and courage,” the NFL said in statement. “Michael is a football player. Any player with ability and determination can succeed in the NFL. We look forward to welcoming and supporting Michael Sam in 2014.”

Sam said many people at the college all-star game for NFL prospects seemed to know that he was gay.

“I didn’t realize how many people actually knew, and I was afraid that someone would tell or leak something out about me,” he told ESPN. “I want to own my truth. … No one else should tell my story but me.”

Before coming out to all his teammates and coaches, Sam said he told a few close friends and dated another Missouri athlete who was not a football player.

“Coaches just wanted to know a little about ourselves, our majors, where we’re from, and something that no one knows about you,” Sam said. “And I used that opportunity just to tell them that I was gay. And their reaction was like, ‘Michael Sam finally told us.'”

Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said in a statement Sunday night he was proud of Sam and how he represented the program.

“Michael is a great example of just how important it is to be respectful of others, he’s taught a lot of people here first-hand that it doesn’t matter what your background is, or your personal orientation, we’re all on the same team and we all support each other,” Pinkel said. “If Michael doesn’t have the support of his teammates like he did this past year, I don’t think there’s any way he has the type of season he put together.”

Missouri linebacker Donovan Bonner has been a teammate of Sam’s for five years.

“We knew of his status for 5 years and not one team member, coach, or staff member said anything says a lot about our family atmosphere,” Bonner tweeted.

— Associated Press —

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi guard Marshall Henderson does not have the green light to take a 3-point shot. He has no light.

“I heard some guy behind me in the front row telling me to shoot it,” said Henderson, who scored 29 points on eight 3-point shots in Saturday’s 91-88 win over Missouri. “That’s all I need to hear.”

The Rebels (16-7, 7-3 Southeastern Conference) needed everything Henderson provided — 10 of 18 from the field, 8 of 15 from 3-point range and five assists — to record what Ole Miss coach Andy Kennedy admitted, “a game we absolutely had to have. Marshall hits big shots.”

Ole Miss enhanced their hopes for an NCAA Tournament bid with the win, with home dates remaining against Kentucky and Florida. The Rebels are 27-10 with a .729 winning percentage in SEC play since 2012, trailing only Florida for the league’s best mark.

The Rebels remained alone in third place in the league standings and won for the third time in four meetings with Missouri (16-7, 4-6) over the past two seasons. The past two wins for the Rebels were turned on the game’s final possession.

“Huge. Just huge. It’s the only time we play them (Missouri) during the regular season,” Henderson said. “They’re a quality club with a high RPI and we needed it. I was able to get some good looks, but we had big games from everybody today.”

Jarvis Summers and LaDarius White had 16 points apiece, while Anthony Perez added 11. The Rebels won the rebounding battle, 44-43, including game-high performances of 11 and 10 rebounds from Aaron Jones and Sebastian Saiz, respectively.

Despite trailing by as many as 17 points in the first half and 50-35 at halftime, Missouri put on a furious second half rally. Earnest Ross led the Tigers with 24 points, six rebounds and four assists and missed a 28-foot shot at the buzzer that could have forced overtime.

Ross was complemented by Jordan Clarkson with 23 points, Jabari Brown with 20 and Ryan Rossburg with 11, all in the second half.

“I thought the difference was our post players didn’t compete well in the first half and their press bothered us,” Missouri coach Frank Haith said.

“In the second half, we took better care of the basketball and our effort was there.”

The Tigers pulled within two points on four occasions, but Henderson responded three times with a 3-point shot or an assist. Missouri’s made another late surge to get within 79-78 on a 3-point shot by Brown with 3:18 left.

Ole Miss outscored Missouri 6-0 in the following minute, all by Summers, and built a seemingly insurmountable 91-83 lead with 19 seconds remaining. Missouri scrambled within 91-88 and forced a turnover with 0.9 remaining, setting up a final opportunity for Ross.

“There were times I felt like we were just blowing them out by the way we were shooting,” Henderson said. “Then you’d look up and they were right there. Every game comes down to the wire for us. We embrace hard. We know it’s going to be that way.”

The loss was the third straight for the Tigers, who have lost consecutively to the top three SEC teams — Kentucky, Florida and Ole Miss. Despite the loss, Missouri remains a factor in the title chase with five of the next seven games at home.

Ole Miss shot 50 percent (29 of 58) from the field and 48.3 percent (14 of 29) from 3-point range. Missouri shot 47.5 percent (28 of 59) from the field and hit 11 3-point shots, led by Ross with five.

— Associated Press —

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Michael Frazier II scored 14 points, highly touted freshman Chris Walker had two crowd-pleasing dunks in his debut and No. 3 Florida beat Missouri 68-58 on Tuesday night.

The Gators won their 14th consecutive game and extended a school record with their 28th straight victory at home.

Frazier came up huge in the latest one. The sophomore drained three 3-pointers in a 2-minute span in the second half, giving Florida some breathing room in a tight, back-and-forth game.

Patric Young’s driving layup with 4:10 remaining gave the Gators (20-2, 9-0 Southeastern Conference) a 58-48 lead.

Missouri’s 3-point shooting kept the Tigers (16-6, 4-5) in it for much of the game.

Missouri made 8 of 21 from behind the arc, but just 4 of 13 in the second half. The Tigers went more than 4 minutes without a point, a stretch that helped Florida build its biggest lead.

Jabari Brown led the Tigers with 15 points while Jordan Clarkson added 14.

Scottie Wilbekin finished with a career-high 19 points for the Gators. He was 13 of 16 from the free throw line, most of them down the stretch. Young chipped in 13 points and six rebounds.

Florida coach Billy Donovan notched his 16th consecutive 20-win season. Only Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim and Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski have longer active streaks.

Donovan’s current team has some issues – shaky free throw shooting and few long-range threats outside Frazier – but the addition of Walker could increase Florida’s chances of making another deep run in the NCAA tournament.

A forward from Bonifay in Florida’s panhandle, Walker sat out 12 games, or 40 percent of the season, because the NCAA determined he ”received preferential treatment from five people, including two agents.” The NCAA said Walker and people close to him accepted free cellphones and service, airfare, lodging, meals and apparel while he was a prospect.

He was ordered to donate the $270 received from the agents to a charity of his choice and serve 80 hours of community service.

Walker, who failed to qualify academically and spent the fall taking online classes to gain eligibility, joined the team Dec. 14 and has been practicing since. His debut had been much-anticipated.

Walker, who drew ooh’s and aah’s with every move during pregame warm-ups, entered the game to a standing ovation with 11:28 remaining in the first half. His first few minutes on the court gave Florida fans even more to celebrate.

Walker blocked two shots and pulled down a rebound in just 3 minutes. There was some obvious confusion, especially on the defensive end, but he showed surprising poise considering all the hype, the wait, the atmosphere and the opponent.

He was even better in his second stint.

Walker had two thunderous dunks in the final 2:07 of the half, finishing alley-oops from fellow freshman Kasey Hill. The second one had the O’Connell Center rocking – but just briefly.

Brown hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer a few seconds later, giving Missouri a 28-25 lead.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Kentucky’s back to having fun.

One game after calling a players-only meeting to discuss the team’s issues away from home, the Wildcats kept their poise at Missouri on Saturday, escaping with an 84-79 win.

”It was fun, actually,” Aaron Harrison said. ”When we play together, we have a lot more fun.”

Harrison scored 21 points and James Young added 20 to help Kentucky (16-5, 6-2 Southeastern Conference) improve to 2-3 on the road after losing 87-82 at LSU on Tuesday. Harrison’s 3-pointer just 1:42 into the game gave the team a lead it wouldn’t relinquish, but it wasn’t easy.

Jabari Brown finished with a career-high 33 points and Jordan Clarkson scored 28 to keep Missouri (16-5, 4-4) in the game. Clarkson’s layup with 51.9 seconds remaining narrowed the Tigers’ deficit to 80-77, but Harrison answered with a layup 30 seconds later to end the threat.

”We’re a talented team,” Clarkson said. ”We weren’t going to let them just blow us out.”

Despite the teams combining for 41 fouls and the lack of lead changes, the game carried a frenzied pace as Kentucky tried to pull away early in the second half but couldn’t bury Missouri. The Wildcats led 61-49 with 11:44 remaining before Missouri used a 10-2 run to get back into it.

The Tigers pulled within three points on three occasions but couldn’t get closer.

”You can’t emphasize everything with these guys,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said. ”All we talked about was passion and intensity. . I loved the fight. I loved the emotion we played with, the enthusiasm we played with.”

Kentucky couldn’t contain LSU’s Johnny O’Bryant III on Tuesday, allowing 29 points to the forward. Missouri’s guards caused the trouble Saturday, as Brown and Clarkson combined for 21 of 34 shooting, mostly in the form of layups.

The duo helped obscure Missouri’s frontcourt production, which only mustered three points. The team fell to 43-3 at home under third-year coach Frank Haith but has lost two of its last four.

”We have to get something,” Haith said about his forwards. ”But I don’t think that’s our problem. I think our problem with losing this game today was on the other end of the court and not being able to stop them.”

Brown extended his streak of 20-plus performances to six after entering the day as the SEC’s leading scorer with 22.3 points per game. Brown and Clarkson’s combined 61 points were the most in regulation since Derrick Chievous had 42 and Byron Irvin had 21 against Virginia Tech in December 1987, according to the school.

”They’re great players,” Haith said. ”I don’t think Jabari gets credit for how good of a player he is. I think both those guys are terrific players. They left it out there on the court. They gave it everything they had.”

Kentucky’s Julius Randle scored 18 points on 7 of 13 shooting to help Kentucky finish 30 of 56 from the field. The Wildcats converted eight 3-pointers one game after a making a season-high nine, but Missouri hung around on 27 of 51 overall shooting.

Missouri won the opening tip and Brown scored the game’s first basket before Harrison’s 3-pointer. The teams traded baskets until the Wildcats’ Jarrod Polson found Marcus Lee for a reverse alley-oop to start a 12-2 run that gave Kentucky a 40-28 lead with 1:40 remaining before the break.

Haith drew a technical eight minutes into the first half after taking off his jacket and arguing about the lack of a whistle against Randle when the forward got tangled with Brown underneath the basket. Andrew Harrison converted one of two free throws before officials called three fouls on the Wildcats in the next minute.

”Any win is a big win,” Randle said. ”We can’t take anybody for granted. We knew after the LSU game we had to come back strong and we had to come back more prepared.”

— Associated Press —

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Earnest Ross and Jabari Brown scored 24 points each as Missouri earned its first win in Bud Walton Arena with a 75-71 victory over Arkansas on Tuesday night.

The Tigers (16-4, 4-3 Southeastern Conference) were winless in six attempts in the building entering the game, but they hit 16 of 16 free throws in the second half to pull away late.

Brown scored 19 points in the second half, while Ross hit a late 3-pointner to give Missouri a 67-64 lead – leading to the game-clinching free throws. Jordan Clarkson added 11 points for the Tigers, who had a 42-26 rebounding advantage.

Ky Madden led the Razorbacks (13-7, 2-5), who have now lost twice at home in conference play, with 20 points. They were undefeated at home in the SEC last season.

Madden’s three-point play tied the game at 64-64 for Arkansas late, but Missouri answered on the other end.

After an offensive rebound kept the possession alive, Clarkson drove to the basket and kicked the ball out to Ross – who drilled a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 59.4 seconds remaining to put the Tigers up 67-64.

Following a miss by Madden for the Razorbacks, Missouri then sealed the win at the free throw line. Both Brown and Ross were 8 of 8 on free throws, and the Tigers were 22 of 27 overall.

Johnathan Williams led Missouri’s rebounding advantage with 12 rebounds.

Michael Qualls and Bobby Portis each added 16 points for Arkansas, which also lost at home in overtime to Florida on Jan. 14. The Razorbacks had won 25 of their last 26 games in Bud Walton Arena.

After struggling to shoot the ball inside for much of the first half, Arkansas came alive early in the second.

It did so behind the resurgence of Qualls – the high-flying sophomore who was the team’s leading scorer until a shooting slump that began with the start of SEC play. Qualls entered Tuesday 11 of 56 (19.6 percent) in six conference games, but he was 3 of 3 on 3-pointers in the first half.

Qualls’ fourth 3-pointer of the game put the Razorbacks up 61-60, but Brown answered with back-to-back baskets to put Missouri up 64-61.

Brown, the SEC’s leading scorer at 19.5 points per game, started slowly – scoring just five points on 1-of-3 shooting in the first half.

However, the junior came alive in the second – hitting three early 3-pointers as Missouri used an 11-0 run to surge ahead 56-46. Brown, who has scored at least 22 points in each of his last five games, connected on back-to-back 3-pointers to cap the Tigers’ run.

Missouri led by as many as 10 points in the first half before settling for a 36-34 halftime advantage. The Tigers were 14-of-28 shooting (50 percent) in the half, compared with just 10 of 27 (37 percent) for the Razorbacks.

Ross gave Missouri a 33-23 lead late in the half with a dunk following one of Arkansas’ nine first-half turnovers, but the Razorbacks countered with an 11-3 run to close out the half.

Coty Clarke’s step-back 3-pointer late in the half pulled Arkansas within 36-34. It was one of eight 3-pointers in the half by the Razorbacks, who finished with only 10 field goals overall in the half.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Jabari Brown had 24 points with a career-best six assists and Jordan Clarkson added 22 points, helping Missouri handle South Carolina 82-74 on Saturday.

Earnest Ross added 14 points for the Tigers (15-4, 3-3 SEC), who led by double digits most of the way and kept the Gamecocks (7-12, 0-6) winless in conference play. The winners shot 54 percent and combined for a season-best 18 assists.

Brenton Williams had a career-best seven 3-pointers and a season-best 32 points for South Carolina, which has dropped the first six conference games for the first time since a 0-6 start in 1998-99, and is 0-7 on the road. Sindarius Thornwell fouled out late and had 14 points after totaling 50 points the previous two games.

Brown leads the SEC in scoring with an average of about 20 points and was 4 for 6 from 3-point range. He’s 16 for 24 from long range the last four games.

Missouri is 43-2 at home in three seasons under coach Frank Haith. South Carolina coach Frank Martin picked up one of the wins in 2012 when he was at Kansas State but is 1-6 overall at Missouri.

Michael Carrera scored six of his 16 points in the final 1:46 for South Carolina, including two free throws that cut the deficit to six points with 1:18 to go. Ryan Rosburg was 0 for 4 at the line the final 1:29 for Missouri, but Carrera also missed a pair with just under a minute left.

Carrera added 11 rebounds for the losers.

Ross had 12 points and Missouri shot 50 percent in the first half, leading by as many as 20 points and taking a 38-22 cushion into the break. Wesley Clark had a 3-pointer and Ross converted a three-point play to cap a 16-0 run that put Missouri up 38-18 with 1:48 to go.

South Carolina cut the gap to 11 points early in the second half before Missouri answered with eight straight points, including 3-pointers by Clarkson and Brown in a 53-second span.

The Gamecocks waited more than 6 minutes for its first basket while falling behind 11-0, and shot 25.9 percent in the first half.

Thornwell, who totaled 50 points the previous two games, was held to six points in 12 minutes while saddled with two fouls.

The attendance of 12,033 was the largest of the season at Mizzou Arena, which holds just over 15,000.

— Associated Press —

Missouri junior guard Jordan Clarkson was named to the Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 List the Los Angeles Athletic Club announced on Wednesday. Chosen by the Wooden Award Advisory Board, the list is comprised of 25 student-athletes who are the front-runners for the sport’s most prestigious individual honor based on their play so far this season.

Clarkson has been one of college basketball’s most impactful newcomers this year and is averaging 18.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.4 assist and 1.3 steals in 18 games this season. The San Antonio native leads Missouri with nine 20-point games, including a career high 31 points in a Nov. 12 win against Southern Illinois. The 6-foot-5 guard has reached double figures in 18 consecutive games and ranks No. 5 in the SEC in scoring, No. 10 in field goal percentage (.472), No. 7 in assists and No. 5 in free throw percentage (.804).

Clarkson is one of three Southeastern Conference representatives on the list, joining Florida’s Casey Prather and Kentucky’s Julius Randle. Clarkson is also one of four transfers on the list becoming eligible this season, joining Duke’s Rodney Hood, Iowa State’s DeAndre Kane and Oregon’s Joseph Young.

Players can be added to the list as the season progresses and fellow Tiger junior Jabari Brown is making a strong case. Like Clarkson, Brown has also reached double figures in all-18 games and has topped 20 points in three straight outings. On the year, Brown ranks No. 2 in the SEC in scoring (19.3), No. 8 in field goal percentage (.498), No. 3 from three-point range (.451) and No. 3 in three-point makes per game (2.8).

Over his last six games the Oakland, Calif., native is averaging 21.6 points on 56 percent shooting from the floor, 52 percent shooting from three and 82 percent shooting from the foul line.

The combination of Clarkson and Brown are one of just two high major basketball tandems averaging better than 18.0 points per game this season and the pair is combining for 38.0 points per game for Frank Haith’s Tigers.

— MU Sports Information —

John Brown, one of the all-time great performers in Missouri Basketball history, was named a 2014 Allstate® SEC Basketball Legend and will be honored at the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament, March 12‐16, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Ga.

“The Allstate® SEC Basketball Legends Program allows us to honor our past and show everyone why the SEC is one of the nation’s premier basketball conferences,” said SEC Commissioner Mike Slive.

Joining Brown in the 2014 class include: Eddie Phillips, Alabama; Clint McDaniel, Arkansas; Gerald White, Auburn; Greg Stolt, Florida; D.A. Layne, Georgia; Tony Delk, Kentucky; Mahmoud Abdul‐Rauf (Chris Jackson), LSU; Ansu Sesay, Ole Miss; Erick Dampier, Mississippi State; Gary Gregor, South Carolina; Ed Wiener, Tennessee; Dr. John Thornton, Texas A&M and Matt Freije, Vanderbilt.

“There are some tremendous names on the SEC Legends list and it’s an honor to represent Missouri at the Southeastern Conference Tournament in Atlanta next month,” John Brown said. “I want to thank Commissioner Mike Slive, Mike Alden and Coach Haith, and I am extremely proud to represent our university at this fantastic event.”

A native of Dixon, Mo., Brown led Mizzou in scoring and rebounding his final two seasons and averaged nearly 20 points and 10 rebounds per game for his three‐year career. A member of the school’s Hall of Fame and All‐Century Team, Brown ranks 16th in career scoring at Missouri with 1,421 points (just three seasons) and is fourth in career rebounding average (10.0).

“What a fitting tribute that our second inductee from Mizzou is John Brown,” said Mizzou Director of Athletics Mike Alden.  “John was a tremendous representative of our University, both as a student-athlete and throughout his professional career.  We are looking forward to seeing John honored by the Southeastern Conference in Atlanta as part of the Allstate SEC Basketball Legends event.”

A 6-foot-7 forward, Brown was a member of the 1972 United States Olympic Team (did not play due to injury) and was drafted 10th overall by the Atlanta Hawks in 1973, being named to the 1974 NBA All‐Rookie Team. He finished his NBA career scoring 3,616 points and played for Atlanta, Chicago and Utah during his NBA tenure.

Each SEC Basketball Legend will be recognized at halftime of his institution’s first game at the tournament.

Highlighting the schedule of events at the Sunkist Soda SEC FanFare will be appearances by selected legends. The FanFare will be open Thursday‐Saturday, March 13‐15.

This marks the 16th year of the SEC Basketball Legends program.

— MU Sports Information —

BATON ROUGE, La. — A week ago, LSU failed to execute in the final minutes of regulation and dropped an overtime decision to Ole Miss.

The results were the opposite for LSU against Missouri on Tuesday. Jordan Mickey scored four points and Anthony Hickey sank four consecutive free throws in the final minute and LSU held off the Tigers for a 77-71 Southeastern Conference win.

Hickey, who entered the game shooting 50 percent from the free-throw line, was fouled on purpose twice by Missouri. Hickey made his first pair of free throws to give LSU a 74-68 lead with 37 seconds remaining.

Following a 3-pointer by Jabari Brown, Hickey was again fouled. Hickey sank two more free throws with 17 seconds left to push LSU ahead 76-71.

“It was a great team effort out there,” LSU coach Johnny Jones said. “Missouri played aggressive in the second half, tied it and eventually took the lead. I’m really proud of how our team bore their neck.

“They played with a sense of urgency and toughness down the stretch,” Jones said. “They got stops and tough rebounds on the defensive end. Then, they were able to execute on the offensive end. They knocked down some big free throws.”

Shavon Coleman led LSU (12-5, 3-2) with a season-high 19 points. Johnny O’Bryant added 16 points, while Andre Stringer had 12. Mickey scored 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.

“Towards the end of the game, you have to get the ball inside and get some fouls,” Mickey said. “You don’t want to keep taking jump shots that can allow the other team to get back in the game, so you have to go inside and try to get some easy layups.”

Brown had a career-high 28 points for Missouri (14-4, 2-3). Jordan Clarkson contributed 19 points, while Earnest Ross had 16.

“You can’t take anything away from our guys’ competitive spirit,” Missouri coach Frank Haith said. “LSU made some big shots and made their free throws when they went to the line down the stretch. We were slow reacting a little bit on defense. It obviously wasn’t one of our better moments defensively.”

Missouri, which trailed for most of the game, went ahead 65-64 on a 3-pointer by Brown with 3:39 remaining. LSU’s Mickey replied with two free throws and a field goal and Coleman made a layup after a steal by Tim Quarterman.

Missouri stayed in striking range as Clarkson made three of four free throws on Missouri’s next two possessions. Then Hickey was fouled twice, and he sealed the win with his clutch foul shooting.

LSU led for most of the first half and built an 18-10 lead after Coleman made a 3-pointer with 12:31 remaining. Sparked by Brown’s eight points, Missouri rallied to take its first lead at 29-26 with 5:26 left before halftime.

LSU regained the lead by outscoring Missouri 12-2 over the next five minutes. Stringer started the run with a 3-pointer, Mickey made two baskets and sank two foul shots, and Jarell Marting scored three points. Brown hit a field goal, but Missouri trailed 38-33 at the half.

Missouri seized momentum at the start of the second half. A 3-pointer by Clarkson and a layup by Brown tied the score at 38, then a bucket by Johnathan Williams put Missouri on top less than 90 seconds into the half.

Trailing by four for a third time, LSU’s Mickey scored on an inside basket, then Stringer hit a trey for a 50-49 lead with 14:08 to play. Quarterman made a field goal and Coleman sank one of two foul shots to increase the lead to 53-49.

LSU extended its advantage to six points at 59-53 following field goals by O’Bryant and Coleman. But a three-point play by Ross cut Missouri’s deficit in half with 8:33 remaining. LSU got the lead back to six points again on a field goal by Martin and a foul shot by Coleman.

Another three-point play — this one by Brown — again cut Missouri’s deficit in half. Missouri then tied the score when Ross made one of two free throws and hit a layup following an LSU turnover. A driving basket by Coleman put LSU back ahead 64-62 with 4:05 remaining.

— Associated Press —