Live Wire Blog

Big Monday’s big comeback

Posted on Feb. 9, 2009 by Ryan Gavin
Category: 2008-09 Basketball

Junior guard Zaire Taylor nails the winning shot for Mizzou with just 1.3 seconds left in the game. It marks the second game-winning shot Taylor has hit for the Tigers in the team’s past three games. Photo by Karen Stockman.

From blowout loss to blown opportunities to full-blown celebration, Mizzou’s 62-60 thriller of a comeback against bitter rival Kansas was an instant classic in the Border Showdown.

At halftime, the Tigers (21-4, 8-2 Big 12 Conference) trailed 30-16 as a result of several missed shots and suffocating defense by the Jayhawks (19-5, 8-1). Mizzou shot just 24.1 percent from the field, 1-for-10 from thee-point range, and was out-rebounded 30-15. Then coach Mike Anderson walked in the locker room.

“Coach Anderson just looked at us and laughed,” Carroll says. “He said, you guys left your game at home.

“The game is 40 minutes, not 20.”

The 15,061 fans at Mizzou Arena had plenty to celebrate in the comeback victory. Photo by Karen Stockman.

The Tigers made several runs at Kansas, cutting the deficit to three on several occasions before letting the Jayhawks’ lead balloon again.

Finally, with just 30 seconds left, Leo Lyons drove in and got fouled, with the Tigers trailing 58-56. The first shot swooshed through, and it seemed as though the nervous energy was about to burst forth from the 15,061 fans packed in to Mizzou Arena.

Every set of hands reached skyward, grasping for hope to complete the improbable comeback. Then, the second one clanged off the back of the rim before rolling back through. It was tied at 58. Goosebumps were visible on arms waving around pom poms, giant foam fingers and anything else they could find in the sheer pandemonium.

Senior forward DeMarre Carroll carried the Tigers on his back, leading the team with 22 points and seven rebounds. Photo by Karen Stockman.

With 49.7 seconds left, J.T. Tiller hit a shot to give Mizzou its first lead since the Tigers were up 11-10 early on. The fans’ roar became deafening, and the walls of the arena were literally vibrating with the impassioned crowd, almost as if in celebration of Mizzou’s undefeated home season this year.

On the other end, Kansas answered with just more than 23 seconds left, meaning the Tigers would have the game’s last shot. Lyons held the ball for what seemed an eternity to the hoarse but still screaming crowd. Finally, he kicked it to Zaire Taylor, who had just hit the winning shot on the road against Texas last week.

A pump fake threw off the defenders, allowing him to drive. And then he drained it.

“What can I say?” Anderson asked coyly afterward, grinning and fully enjoying the moment. “The kid’s got some moxie. He’s got some heart.”

Tiger fans storm Norm Stewart Court in celebration of Mizzou’s comeback victory. Photo by Karen Stockman.

The joyful exuberance flowed forth from the stands, as it later did from the eyes of Tiller and others in the Tiger locker room. The crowd flew by ushers, who knew it was an exercise in futility to try to turn back the tide of gold pouring onto Norm Stewart Court.

“This is one of the reasons I came here,” Anderson says. “You can make this place a tough place to play. We have to give them a reason to come, and when they come, we have to give them a reason to stay here.

There couldn’t have been a better finish to a game that ended like a childhood fantasy. Convincing fans to see the rest of this storybook season shouldn’t be a problem.

Carroll rejoices with teammates and fans following an emotional comeback in which the Tigers rallied several times. Photo by Karen Stockman.