With 2:08 left Saturday, the Tigers led No. 25 Louisiana State by 14 points and were all but certain of a gallant victory. In front of the largest home crowd of the season, Mizzou overcame missing its best shooter and outplayed a vastly more athletic team.
LSU promptly ripped off a 15-1 run to close the second half and send the game to overtime, where Cuonzo Martin’s team couldn’t match LSU’s firepower in a gut-wrenching 86-80 loss.
For most of the day, Missouri managed to survive without hobbled guard Mark Smith, out with a sprained left ankle suffered Wednesday at Arkansas.