COLUMBIA, Mo. — Mizzou Men’s Basketball dropped an OT thriller to Arkansas on Saturday afternoon, 86-81. The contest served as the annual Rally For Rhyan game benefiting pediatric cancer research. With the help of Mizzou fans, an estimated $65,000 was raised to fight pediatric cancer.
Mizzou drained a season high 13 three-pointers, shooting 41 percent from beyond the arc in the loss. Five Tigers made at least one three-pointer, including junior Xavier Pinson who led Mizzou offensively with 23 points after making five three-pointers.
Off the bench, Torrence Watson scored a season-best nine points on 3-of-5 shooting from deep. Dru Smith tallied 15 points, seven assists, and four rebounds on the night.
Mizzou forced overtime with a late bucket by redshirt sophomore Parker Braun and a defensive stop in the final seconds of regulation, but Arkansas did just enough in the extra period to pull away with the win.
Turning Point
Despite Arkansas being up by as many as seven in the second half, the Tigers forced the game into overtime after two clutch layups from Mitchell Smith and Parker Braun. Xavier Pinson kept the Tigers alive in overtime with trips to the foul line. After a reversed goaltending call in the final 20 seconds, the Razorbacks were able to get stops and seal the game from the free throw line.
Top Tigers
- Xavier Pinson led Mizzou with a team-high 23 points, shooting 5-for-8 from beyond-the-arc. He rounded out the statsheet with three boards, three assists and a steal.
- Dru Smith dished a season-high seven assists. He has 88 multi-assist outings in his last 92 games. He added four boards and a steal.
- Mitchell Smith shot 3-for-7 from the field, good for eight points, in addition to seven rebounds and a steal.
- Torrence Watson’s nine points came from his 3-for-5 shooting from beyond-the-arc. He finished with three steals, two boards and a block.
Game Notes
- After scoring 15 points, Dru Smith has scored in double figures in 10 consecutive games. He’s the first Tiger to string together 10 such games since Kassius Robertson in 2017-18.
- At least nine Tigers found the scoring column for the fifth time this season.
- The Tigers hit a season-best 13 triples, their most since 12/30/2019 against Chicago State (16).
- Xavier Pinson put up 23 points, reaching double figures for the 12th time this season, and the 20-point mark for the fifth time.
Up Next
Mizzou starts a two-game road swing with a trip to Georgia on Tuesday. The Tigers and Bulldogs tip off at 5:30 p.m. CT on the SEC Network.
