Mizzou Falls to Vanderbilt in Thrilling Overtime Loss

For the second-straight time on the road, the No. 14-ranked Missouri Tigers fell victim to the disadvantage, falling to the Vanderbilt Commodores in a 97-93 back and forth battle that extended past regulation.

The Commodores cut the score to 79-78 with 12 seconds remaining after Jason Edwards knocked down a 3-pointer, but the Tigers went straight to line with the result of the game in Caleb Grill's hands. The guard made both attempts, but a late 3-pointer from Tyler Nickel sent the game to overtime at 81-81.

In those five minutes, Vanderbilt outscored Missouri 16-to-12 to pull off a comeback at home. Coming off a win over the No. 12-ranked Texas A&M Aggies, that momentum carried into yet another upset win.

Grill continued his high-scoring streak with 28 points on 9-of-19 shooting, playing a large part in the Tigers holding a nine-point lead after the first half. Mark Mitchell also gave a solid performance, finishing the night with 20 points and seven rebounds on 4-of-10 shooting from the field and 12-of-15 at the charity stripe.

Free throws were a big separator for Missouri, shooting 28-of-35 as a team compared to the Commodores' 21-of-24. The 3-point shot was an area it had the clear advantage in at the start, knocking down 9-of-22, but its opponent ended up finishing 8-of-26 from behind the arc.

One of the main things keeping Vanderbilt alive was its dominance on the glass, winning the rebounding battle 39-28. It grabbed a whopping 18 offensive rebounds, giving it several more shot attempts that kept it in the game even with a struggling first half offense.

Anthony Robinson II notched the first two points for the Tigers after drawing a foul on the 3-point line, and once Grill got in on the action, they started to draw some separation. The guard scored 11-straight points — including three 3-pointers and a layup — putting them up 16-7 with 12:10 remaining in the first half.

The Commodores then embarked on a 11-2 run from there, cutting it just a 18-17 deficit by the 7:56 mark. For the rest of the half, it was a back and forth battle between both offenses — put Missouri pulled away towards the end with a 38-29 advantage.

Vanderbilt struggled with its offensive efficiency — going an underwhelming 1-of-13 from behind the arc — but 14 offensive rebounds allowed it to gain seven more shot attempts and stay below a double-digit lead. For the Tigers, Caleb Grill's 16 points did most of the work offensively.

An intense start to the second half for the the Commodores helped cut the score to 45-40 at the 15:59 mark, quickly attacking the paint and preventing Missouri from continuing to widen the gap. Even with the Tigers enduring dry spells of scoring, Grill remained largely stayed consistent in thwarting a lead change.

However, Vanderbilt soon changed that. A MJ Collins Jr. tied the game at 55-55, before giving it a 57-56 lead with 9:13 remaining. With a couple of buckets from Grill and Mitchell though, Missouri was able to bring it back to a 60-57 lead at the 7:38 mark.

Robinson and Nickel each traded 3-pointers on back-to-back occasions, keeping the score at 67-67 with 5:21 to go. Both teams continue to trade buckets, not letting one or the other get the upper hand.

Finally, with 2:02 remaining, a floater by Mitchell put the Tigers above 75-71 — the first time a team led by four or more points since the 6:39 mark. From there, they held control of the score for most of the half, but. a late surge from the Commodores forced an overtime period — which they came out on top in.

Next, Missouri will head to Norman, Okla., at 7 p.m. Wednesday to face the Oklahoma Sooners for the second time this season.