4 months ago
Trailing by 3 successful nan last 15 seconds of nan first half, Missouri men’s hoops sewage nan shot to an improbable leader for nan last changeable of nan opening 20 minutes.
Trent Burns has played sparingly this play for nan Tigers, averaging conscionable 5.9 minutes per crippled entering Saturday’s contest, and had ne'er deed a changeable from beyond nan arc successful his young collegiate career. But he splashed a buzzer-beating triple to knot MU up pinch Florida astatine 39 apiece heading into nan half, sending a jolt of energy done nan Mizzou Arena crowd.
The Tigers rode that momentum into nan early minutes of nan 2nd half and picked up their first awesome triumph of nan 2025-26 season, dispatching nan defending nationalist champion Florida Gators 76-74.
The triumph gives Mizzou its first top-25 and Quad 1 wins of nan play aft starting nan twelvemonth 0-2 and 0-3, respectively, successful those categories.
MU surged retired of halftime pinch a 6-0 tally to move up 45-39, led by a brace of Anthony Robinson II layups. He put together 1 of his champion performances of nan play against nan Gators, finishing pinch 19 points connected 8-of-14 shooting and adding 5 assists.
The Tigers continued their complaint retired of nan break and pushed nan lead to double digits, 56-46, connected a 3 from Trent Pierce that prompted Florida caput coach Todd Golden to telephone a timeout.
The triple gave Pierce his first points of nan play arsenic he made his return from a lengthy absence owed to injury. It was different cardinal subordinate making their return from injury, Jayden Stone, who sewage Mizzou started.
Stone caught occurrence early successful his first commencement of nan season, hammering location a modulation dunk aft he intercepted a walk and connecting connected 2 shots from beyond nan arc for each of MU’s first 8 points. He recorded 9 points and grabbed six rebounds successful his first crippled action since November.
Florida responded to nan shortage pinch a bid of scoring runs, cutting nan Tigers lead to 64-62 pinch 4:15 remaining connected a Thomas Haugh jumper and prompting a timeout. The Gators completed their comeback pinch different large changeable from Haugh, this 1 a triple, to propulsion up 65-64 pinch 3:37 remaining.
But they completed nan comeback excessively soon.
Trent Pierce put nan Tigers backmost ahead, 66-65, earlier hitting a three-pointer moving disconnected a surface to put Mizzou up by 4 pinch conscionable complete 2 minutes connected nan clock.
MU held onto that lead for nan last 125 seconds of action pinch nan thief of a banked-in triple from Robinson and a cardinal rebound followed by free throws from Jacob Crews. Boogie Fland put up a last-ditch effort astatine nan buzzer pinch Florida trailing by 2 but nan changeable was disconnected its mark, sealing nan constrictive triumph for nan Tigers.
The triumph moves Mizzou to 11-3 connected nan play and 1-0 successful SEC play. The Tigers will recreation to Lexington for their first convention roadworthy matchup Wednesday against Kentucky. That crippled will extremity disconnected astatine 6 p.m. and beryllium broadcast connected ESPN2.
