Mizzou comes away with 88-84 overtime road win over Wichita State

WICHITA, Kan. — Missouri dealt with more adversity in its first road game of the year than it did in its first seven games of the season combined.

Taking on Wichita State inside Charles Koch Arena on Tuesday, senior forward Kobe Brown was whistled for two quick fouls early in the first half and played out of sorts in the second, sitting on the bench for most of the game. Senior guard Isiaih Mosley was also held out of the matchup against the Shockers — head coach Dennis Gates said Mosley was working through “personal things” and wanted to respect his privacy, but also noted Mosley not playing wasn't due to his behavior or an injury.

It left the Tigers without two of their best players and down 10 points with 5:15 remaining on the clock. And yet, Mizzou didn’t fold.

Instead, the team rallied to send the game into overtime and pull out an 88-84 victory over the Shockers in front of a hostile crowd of 7,401.

“I thought our guys did a tremendous job of executing the game plan,” Gates said. “I thought our guys, our experience as we searched for an identity on the road, was on display.”

Gates recalled being an assistant coach at Nevada the last time he came to Wichita State. The Wolf Pack took a win over the Shockers in the first round of the 2010 NIT, 74-70. The head coach knew how tough it’d be to win again.

It didn’t seem too difficult at first. The Tigers pressured the hosts like they had every team that came before, forcing 11 steals — four from senior guard Tre Gomillion and three from senior guard Nick Honor — and scoring 17 points off of fast breaks in the first half. The visitors established a 43-36 advantage by halftime, and seemed like they could break the game open with Brown returning to the floor.

Wichita State wouldn’t allow it, though. The home team stopped turning the ball over and dramatically swung the momentum back in its favor, going on a 16-0 run and taking a seven-point lead in with 13:37 left to play.

“I mean, it's a game of runs,” senior forward Noah Carter said. “We went on a run at the end of the first half and they went on a run the start the second half. But you know, just persevering through and staying together, that's all we need.”

Brown scored off a turnover to halt the run and cut the deficit to 52-47. He wouldn’t score again for the rest of the night, struggling with the double teams the Shockers sent his way. He finished the game with six points on 3-7 shooting, four rebounds, a steal and a plus/minus of negative-17 in 19 minutes.

But Mizzou didn’t panic. The players trusted each other to correct their mistakes. As the game wore on, the trust grew. Gates said his team had positive conversations and suggestions on the sidelines during timeouts, whether players were in the game or not. He said Brown and Mosley almost functioned like members of the staff.

It led to one final comeback attempt as the team trailed by 10 with 5:15 remaining. The Tigers went on a 15-5 run to tie the game up with two minutes to play. Neither team could gain an edge by the end of regulation, with Wichita State missing three free throws in the final 1:06, sending the game into overtime at 75-75.

The big run was spurred by Carter and senior guard Sean East II, who accounted for 14 of Missouri’s last 19 points down the stretch.

“We've got a bunch of older guys on his team, so everybody's kind of been in this situation.” East said. “And just us combining all our personalities and all our experience, we just stayed connected, you know, never got down on ourselves. And Coach Gates always says, 'Don't blink.' We just didn't blink and just kept fighting.”

Carter and East continued to roll in the extra period, combining to score 12 of the team’s 13 overtime points. The Shockers missed another three foul shots and were held to 3-7 shooting, receiving the 88-84 loss.

Carter led the team with 20 points and eight rebounds. He was followed by senior guard D’Moi Hodge with 19 points, six boards and four assists, and East with 17 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Missouri will need Brown and Mosley to stay on the court to keep having success this season. But on Tuesday night, the Tigers showed they have others who can lead the team when called upon.

“Our guys stepped up and I'm proud of them for that,” Gates said. “I'm proud of what we displayed, our character, our connectivity. And my hat's off to my staff as they prepared us for this game.”

Junior Ronnie DeGray III was the first forward off the bench for Mizzou against the Shockers and filled in for Brown for long stretches while the senior sat out. DeGray had a solid stat line, with 4 points, two rebounds, a block and a steal in a season-high 11 minutes. But most of DeGray’s impact can’t be seen in the box score.

In Wichita State’s closing possessions of both the second half and overtime, with chances for the hosts to take the lead, DeGray was on the floor to defend. He provided the visitors with crucial stops in the most pivotal moments of the game, playing his best ball of the season.

“Without him, we would not have won,” Gates said. “He had two offensive rebounds, which were crucial. And he ended up giving us the length and athleticism that we needed in those moments, which was great.”

The Tigers (8-0) return to Mizzou Arena for a pair of games, the first coming on Sunday, Dec. 4, at 3 p.m. against Southeast Missouri State (5-3) and the second on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 4:15 p.m. in the Border Showdown against Kansas (7-1).

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