COLUMBIA, MO. • Four minutes turned to five, then six, then seven. As the possessions continued to come up empty, Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin watched his team go seven minutes and 34 seconds between points Sunday late in the first half against Central Florida, another game come undone in the final stretches before halftime.
His prayers were answered in the form of a barrage of 3-pointers to open the second half. First Jordan Geist, then Javon Pickett, then Mitchell Smith. Before long, the Tigers turned an eight-point deficit into a seven-point lead. They’d outlast the Knights in overtime 64-62, thanks to Geist’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of regulation.