Mizzou drops one in OT to Oklahoma State, but hope is on the rise
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Say this much about coach Kim Anderson's young and inexperienced Missouri Tigers: They are inching closer to hope.
Ten days after going toe-to-toe with a superior Illinois (No. 45 in RPI) team, the Tigers nearly toppled a comparable Oklahoma State (No. 51 in RPI) squad.
The Tigers bolted to a 12-point second-half lead against the Cowboys, coughed that up, then forced overtime on a spectacular off-balance three-pointer by Tramaine Isabell with 0.2 seconds to go in regulation.
But the Tigers (5-7) eventually fell 74-72 in overtime when D'Angelo Allen -- whose four points down the stretch helped force overtime -- mysteriously missed a wide-open layup off a missed free throw from teammate Johnathan Williams III.
Still, the Tigers had nothing to hang their heads about, and a surprisingly big and enthusiastic crowd of 11,376 fans at Sprint Center gave Missouri a huge ovation afterward.
Anderson, though, seemed conflicted by his fans' enthusiasm.
"I don't want a program that gets a standing ovation for losing by two points," Anderson said afterward. "I'm not criticizing the fans. They're great."
And you can't fault the Tiger fans who likely aren't sure what to make of this young and often baffling Tigers team that started the season by getting smacked 69-61 at home by UMKC, of all teams.
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Now, though, the Tigers at least seem more ambitious to compete.
"We just need to get a win," Anderson said. "This would have been a great boost. We're learning."
The Tigers certainly are equal parts thrilling and aggravating.
Williams is at the heart of that dichotomy. He pumped in a team-high 22 points and had a team-high nine rebounds.
The 6-foot-9 sophomore delivered a huge three-pointer with 10.2 seconds left in regulation to pull Mizzou within 61-59.
Williams also committed three turnovers and four fouls.
Still, Williams set up the thrilling final moments in overtime when he went to the line to shoot two free throws with his team down 74-71 with three seconds left. Williams made the first free throw and fired the second one off the left side of the rim that set up a wild scramble for the loose ball.
Missouri got the rebound and the ball eventually wound up in Allen's hands to the right of the basket. Allen had what seemed to be a relatively easy lay-in, but he pushed the ball two feet past the basket for an air ball.
"We had it set up perfectly," Anderson said. "I don't know what happened at the end (with Allen). It seemed that it was an awfully long three seconds and he probably thought he didn't have time and he just hurried."
Williams was just as distraught afterward, even though he overall played a strong game.
"It doesn't matter if we don't win," Williams said. "I failed because we didn't win."
Missouri's Montaque Gill-Caesar sees needed improvement in the Tigers, but like his coach, finds it hard to see the big picture after another tough loss.
"It's tough because we know we're right there," Gill-Caesar said. "We feel we gave it everything we had and just came up short.
"Like coach said, we just need to get over the hump."
You can follow Jeffrey Flanagan on Twitter at @jflanagankc or email him at jeffreyflanagan6@gmail.com.
