COLUMBIA, Mo. — Mizzou Men’s Basketball rallied from a 20-point deficit in the final 14 minutes to win in the closing minute against Georgia, 72-69 on Tuesday night at Mizzou Arena. The loss snaps a four-game losing streak for Mizzou (10-10, 2-5 SEC).
Senior Reed Nikko came up with the play of the night to seal the win. Georgia’s Anthony Edwards drove in for a game-tying layup in the final 10 seconds, but he was met at the rim by Nikko – who swatted the ball from behind. Mitchell Smith grabbed the rebound and was fouled to put him at the line to clinch the game.
Nikko finished the night with a career-high 13 points – adding five rebounds and two blocks.
The Tigers ended the game on a 27-8 run over the final 10:30. Georgia (11-9, 1-6 SEC) led for 30:32 of game time, and held a double-digit lead for 15:14. Mizzou’s defense held Georgia to a five-minute scoring drought in the second half to help fuel the comeback.
Sophomore guard Xavier Pinson scored a go-ahead layup with 37 seconds remaining to put Mizzou ahead 71-69. Five Tigers scored in double-digits on the night, led by 16 points from Pinson and Dru Smith.
The Bulldogs jumped out to a 33-17 lead with 6:05 remaining in the first half. Mitchell Smith and Javon Pickett cut the deficit with a pair of threes to highlight an 11-2 run near the break
