Nick Honor hits game-winner for Mizzou. How Tigers survived scare from Mississippi State

As the familiar chords rang through Mizzou Arena, it seemed for the first time in three games like Missouri men’s basketball had it together.

After Kobe Brown finished off an alley-oop from Nick Honor, and a forced held ball at the other end, Mississippi State called a timeout with 10:04 left. The Killers’ 2003 classic “Mr. Brightside” began to play.

It all led to a 66-64 overtime win that snaps a two-game losing skid and allows MU to increase its SEC Tournament seeding and pad its NCAA Tournament resume.

“Me had Kobe had been laughing with each other about finally getting some kind of lob together,” Honor said. “It might not have been the prettiest pass — I thought I overthrew it — but he did a good job of catching it.”

Missouri had struggled throughout the game but finally had the momentum and crowd on its side. It was a contest that was largely played on the Bulldogs’ terms — slow and defensive — but the Tigers turned the shift into their longest time leading.

The lead lasted until Bulldogs got one last chance, taking a timeout with 16.7 seconds left and Missouri leading 57-55. MSU’s Tolu Smith missed a layup, but was fouled and hit both free throws to tie it up, and after the Tigers couldn’t score, the game headed to overtime.

In the extra period, Honor drilled a three to give MU the lead before DJ Jeffries tied it at the other end for Mississippi State. Smith then gave the Bulldogs the lead again at 62-60.

Brown had to exit the game after being hit in the face. In his absence, Noah Carter hit a three to give the Tigers a 63-62 lead. The Bulldogs retook the lead at the other end before Honor drained another three, despite having Smith coming at him.

“I yelled, ‘Shoot it,’ and he shot it,” Missouri head coach Dennis Gates said after the game. “So I’m glad (he) listened to me.”

MSU couldn’t score. Missouri won 66-64 and moved to 20-8 on the season, 8-7 in SEC play.

“I can’t say it enough, but it was a team win,” Gates said. “And I’m proud of our guys.”

Brown led the Tigers with 17 points. D’Moi Hodge (16), Honor (10) and Carter (10) were also in double-figures for Missouri.

The Tigers will be back in action on Saturday at Georgia. That game is scheduled to tip at 12 p.m. and will be aired on the SEC Network.

Slow first half

Missouri entered the game favored, despite having lost the first encounter with the Bulldogs. The game was going to be another clash of styles, with MU favoring a fast-paced attack that relied on the three-pointer and struggling to rebound, while Mississippi State would rather play for two, as one of the worst three-point-shooting teams in the nation.

Then, MSU’s DJ Jeffries drilled a three-pointer on the first possession of the game. Missouri took over and managed to get four offensive rebounds in the same possession.

With that out of the way, the teams went back to work on a first half that seemed ugly at times. The Tigers struggled to shoot the basketball, as has been fairly standard during their recent skid.

The shooting issues were especially apparent at the free-throw line, where the Tigers made just 3 of 6 attempts during the first half. However, they were partially bailed out by how well Hodge was playing.

The guard had 13 points in the first half and at times seemed to be Missouri’s lone scoring threat. He also chipped in with three rebounds, as well as a massive block that led to Honor finding Brown down the court for a fast-break dunk that brought the Mizzou Arena crowd alive.

The Tigers nearly cruised into halftime tied, but a foul on a three-point attempt gave DeShawn Davis three foul shots. He hit all three and the Bulldogs took a 34-31 lead to the locker room.

“We can’t put ourselves in that situation, especially in a game where you only saw a team with a six-point (largest) lead and a team with a four-point (largest) lead the entire way,” Gates said. “But our guys regrouped.”

It’s Mo time

With the Tigers trying to avoid a three-game losing streak, Gates opted to make a lineup change for Tuesday’s game. Forward Mohamed Diarra got his first start of the season, in place of Carter.

The six-foot-10 junior from France had spent most of the early season on the bench, with Gates saying he was going through an adjustment period. After he began to get minutes, Diarra became a valuable rebounder on a team that has struggled in that department.

Diarra showed his potential early on, grabbing two rebounds, scoring two points and earning an assist, all before the under-16 timeout.

“Mohamed did a good job,” Gates said. “I told him two days ago he was going to start, and he tried to hold his smile in.”

Unfortunately for Missouri, Diarra also ran into foul trouble. He had three by the halftime break, with the final one coming on the MSU three-point attempt that led to the free throws to give the Bulldogs the halftime lead.

In the second half, Diarra was forced to the bench with 12:53 left after he picked up his fourth foul. He didn’t return until the 7:41 mark and quickly grabbed a defensive rebound. Diarra finished with five points, four rebounds, two assists and a blocked shot.

“I’m proud of him,” Gates said “And he definitely made a difference.”

The Star has partnered with the Columbia Daily Tribune for coverage of Missouri Tigers athletics.

This story was originally published February 21, 2023 at 9:24 PM with the headline "Nick Honor hits game-winner for Mizzou. How Tigers survived scare from Mississippi State."