Box Score March 5, 2014
COLUMBIA, Mo. - On senior night at Mizzou Arena, the Tigers turned in an exciting second-half comeback to claim a close 57-56 victory over the visiting Texas A&M Aggies. Junior Jabari Brown led all scorers Wednesday evening with 20 points. With tonight's win, the Tigers (21-9 overall, 9-8 SEC) finished the 2013-14 home schedule with a 15-2 record.
With under a minute to play, a pair of free throws from senior Earnest Ross brought Mizzou to within a single point. A driving jumper from Texas A&M's Jamal Jones with 25 seconds remaining extended the Aggie advantage back to three (56-53).
Ross delivered a quick layup for Missouri out of a timeout, and after an A&M turnover on an inbounds pass, the Tigers had an opportunity to take the lead with only 16 seconds remaining. After a wild exchange, Ross once again headed to the free throw line and knocked home the pair to give Missouri a 57-56 advantage with only four seconds left on the clock. A pair of close inbounds plays from Texas A&M ultimately resulted in a turnover as time expired.
Texas A&M (17-13, 8-9) controlled much of the first half, leading by as much as 10 points. The Aggies hit 5-of-13 (38.5-percent) behind the arc, including three alone from Jamal Jones. Missouri struggled to find a rhythm offensively, as they shot just 26.9 percent (7-of-26) from the field.
Brown paced the Tigers' first-half scoring with 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting. The Oakland, Calif., native also knocked down the team's lone 3-pointer. Freshman Johnathan Williams III racked up six first-half rebounds, as Missouri out-rebounded the Aggies 23-14 halfway through the contest at Mizzou Arena.
Despite being out-rebounded, A&M controlled the paint and took advantage of Missouri miscues early-on in Columbia. The Aggies outscored the Tigers 14-6 down low, while Missouri's 10 first-half turnovers led to seven A&M points.
Opening the second half with a 10-point deficit, the Tigers stormed back and cut the Aggie lead to one point with under eight minutes to play. Texas A&M maintained a slim lead ranging from two to four points as time wound down at Mizzou Arena.
Junior Jordan Clarkson helped key Missouri's second-half comeback, after scoring 11 of his 14 points in the final 20 minutes of play. Clutch free throws by Ross down the stretch, concluded a solid 24-of-30 (80-percent) night from the line for the Tigers.
Missouri closes out their 2013-14 schedule Saturday at Tennessee. The Tigers and Volunteers square off at Thompson-Boling Arena at 3:00 p.m. CT. ESPN will have the national broadcast.
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