Mizzou basketball staged a comeback to beat Arkansas in a thriller. Here's what to know

Missouri was looking for revenge on Wednesday night.

The Tigers had dropped their first matchup of the season in Fayetteville and head coach Dennis Gates said the home battle with the Razorbacks could be a good chance for his team to learn how to react quickly to a scout before SEC tournament season.

The Tigers did it. Riding Sean East’s hot hand and a 22-9 run to close the contest, MU won 79-76 and moved to 3-3 in SEC play, 14-4 on the season.

"It was great scouting by our staff and we wanted to make some adjustments leading into the game that I thought we were able to see,” Gates said. “Ending the game in the last five minutes, which was crucial, I thought I heard a lot of great voices, great talking, great conversation between our players.”

Arkansas led for nearly the entire game. Even in the second half, it seemed the Razorbacks were going to be able to stay ahead of the Tigers.

MU trailed by 10 points with 5:07 left and didn’t have much in the way of momentum. Then, East and company got to work, chipping away at the lead until, with 29.6 seconds left, Kobe Brown made two free throws to put them ahead.

Brown led the team with 17 points and six rebounds. East had 12 points, all in the second half, including six crucial free throws to help seal the victory.

"His teammates gave him confidence an I thought they pushed him, said ‘Sean, step up,’” Gates said. “And I thought he responded in a great way. He’s very good at what he does but sometimes he tries to just do and appease and play perfect. You can’t play perfect basketball.”

A second chance

In the first game of the year against Arkansas, the Razorbacks beat up the Tigers in a crucial area. Head coach Eric Musselman’s squad had 17 second-chance points.

Arkansas also erased a 17-point deficit on its way to the win. Missouri didn’t want that happening again.

“We made a big focal point that we had to hit guys,” Brown said. “Keep them away from the rim. I was talking to coach before the game, if it’s a 50/50 ball and you’re going over somebody bigger than you, tip the ball out, try and get it to another teammate, just keep it away from the rim.”

The strategy worked. The Razorbacks only had eight second-chance points on Wednesday.

The Tigers are used to being outrebounded. With a roster lacking in height, Gates understands his team is going to lose the battle on the boards more often than not.

In the rematch with Arkansas, it happened again, actually by two more (42-23 versus 40-23) than in Fayetteville. However, Missouri was able to keep the damage from all those rebounds to a minimum and win in enough other places, like steals, to ultimately leave with the victory.

Better shooting?

In the days leading up to the rematch with Arkansas, Dennis Gates said he wanted his players to keep shooting. The Tigers had lost against Texas A&M and Florida, in part due to how poorly they shot from the field.

Early, things weren’t much different in the Arkansas game. The Tigers didn’t manage to score until Kobe Brown made a layup with 14:59 left in the first half, missing their first seven from the field.

Even after Brown got the first bucket, the Tigers still struggled shooting the ball early. Their first 3-pointers came from unlikely sources in Mo Diarra and Aidan Shaw, who aren’t known as sharpshooters for MU.

As the half continued, Missouri’s shooting got only slightly better. The Tigers finished the frame having hit 11 of 30 shots from the field, and a woeful 21% from three.

D’Moi Hodge continued to struggle from the field, hitting just one of his seven attempts. However, he made up for it at the other end, snagging two steals as a key part of the late defense that won the game for MU.

"I thought he has in the past allowed his offense to dictate his defense,” Gates said. “But he is a guy who I’ve always said all along could be potential defensive player of the year with his ability to get deflections but also be in the right place.”

Missouri did manage to capitalize in other ways. After the Florida game, Gates was upset by the lack of foul calls, saying his team should have taken more free throws.

That wasn’t an issue on Wednesday. Both teams got into the bonus fairly quickly and Missouri was able to add nine points that way.

The game featured a total of 55 fouls, leading MU to attempt 40 total free throws. They made 30.

“To come away with more makes than they had attempts is crucial,” Gates said. “They were playing a very physical game.”

The Razorbacks also didn’t do themselves any favors in the first. They had 14 turnovers during the half, which led to 18 MU points.

The Tigers came perilously close to taking a lead into the locker room, despite a slow start. However, Arkansas’ Davonte Davis hit a three-pointer with four seconds remaining to give his team a 35-34 lead at the break.

Isiaih's return

Missouri was shorthanded for Wednesday’s game. Due to health and safety protocols, the Tigers were without Noah Carter and Majak Mabor.

Carter’s absence left Missouri with some minutes to fill. Many of the opportunities went to Mo Diarra and Aidan Shaw, who helped plug the hole at forward that Carter left.

At guard, another player entered the game with 16:35 left in the first half, drawing a huge cheer from a Mizzou Arena crowd that hadn’t seen him in a game since the Tigers played Central Florida on Dec. 17. Isiaih Mosley was back.

"There is no doubt about it, his teammates have wrapped their arms around him and continue to do so,” Gate said.

Mosley, a Rock Bridge product who joined the Tigers this season after starring for Missouri State, made an impact in the first half. He struggled shooting from three, missing all four of his first-half attempts from that range.

However, he found other ways to contribute, finishing the first with eight points from two field goals and four free throws. Mosley also chipped in with two steals, an offensive rebound and an assist.

“In the first half, it was Isiaih and Aidan Shaw and Mo,” Gates said of who led the way offensively.

Mosley finished having played 19 minutes. He and the Tigers will be back in action on Saturday, taking on Alabama at Mizzou Arena.

The battle with the Crimson Tide is scheduled for 5 p.m. and will be aired on SEC Network.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri basketball beat Arkansas. Here's what to know