Mizzou basketball completes late comeback to beat SMU in overtime
As Missouri's offense struggled to get in any rhythm against Southern Methodist on Sunday night, momentum for a comeback looked like a far-fetched thought, much less pulling it off.
The Tigers trailed the Mustangs by 12 with 8:31 left in the game of the semifinal of the Jacksonville Classic and were on the wrong side of an 18-0 run heading into halftime.
That's why Missouri needed overtime to take down SMU, and did so with a 80-75 victory at UNF Arena on the University of North Florida campus. The Tigers improve to 3-1 with the win.
Over the course of the game's final eight minutes, Missouri slowly clawed its way back into the contest with familiar traits that Cuonzo Martin's past MU teams have exhibited — aggressive defense, smart passes and not settling for the first open look on offense if it's not a high-percentage look.
MU advances to the Jacksonville Classic's championship game on Monday evening to face Florida State. The game will start at 7:30 p.m. local time on CBS Sports Network.
"I think we've grown into it," Martin said about the Tigers' toughness to make the comeback. "I struggle with saying 'new and young' and all that because it's part of it. But every game will present something different for guys until we become who we are, whatever that is. Because I know as a coach, I know what I'd like for us to be, the identity for us to have. But they have to grow into that, they have to understand that.
"But I think what they're learning more than anything is the value of defending every possession down and what that means as a team to give ourselves a chance to win games if the shots aren't falling because we still are trying to grow into that. ... But in the meantime, let's be tough. Let's be hard-nosed, let's be gritty to give ourselves a chance."
Kobe Brown led Missouri with a career-high 24 points, followed by Ronnie DeGray with 18. Amari Davis and DaJuan Gordon each added 14 points respectively.
"It definitely helps my confidence a lot," Brown said of his performance. "I really owe all of that to my teammates, how they help get me in the right spots, help push me every day in practice or individual workouts."
SMU guard Kendric Davis led all scorers with 29 points. Only one other Mustang scored in double figures.
"Oftentimes as a coach, you do this for a long time, even as a player in locker rooms, you can see eyes. You can see the glaze in some guys. I don't see that with these guys," Martin said. "I think these guys, just the composure and understanding all we need is one possession at a time because there's plenty of time on the clock. Don't focus on the clock, focus on the possessions and I thought they did that."
After Missouri squandered its lead in the middle of the first half, it didn't lead again until the opening sequence of overtime, a 28-minute span.
SMU scored 25 points off 18 MU turnovers, while the Tigers only cashed in with nine points on 15 Mustang turnovers. Missouri dominated in second-chance points, winning that battle 14-1.
"It's a great win," Missouri's Boogie Coleman said. "We're still a new team, still learning how to play together. And for us to get a comeback win this early is a great confidence boost for us, just knowing what we could potentially be."
Florida State defeated Loyola Marymount 73-45 in the other semifinal, played directly before the Tigers' victory in Jacksonville.
"From here, no doubt we know we can fight," Brown said. "Coming back against a team like that, we can fight against anyone."
Contact Eric Blum at eblum@columbiatribune.com. Follow @ByEricBlum on Twitter.
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This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Mizzou basketball completes late comeback to beat SMU
