Jayden Stone scored 19 points and grabbed seven rebounds as Missouri held off No. 19 Vanderbilt 81-80 on Wednesday in Columbia, Mo.
The Tigers (18-8, 8-5 Southeastern Conference) led 65-44 with 8:41 left to play before the Commodores (21-5, 8-5) staged a furious rally that fell just short.
After Tyler Nickel hit a 3-point jumper to pull Vanderbilt within one point with one second to go, the Commodores’ Tyler Tanner intercepted the inbound pass and had his halfcourt heave roll around the rim and out at the buzzer.
T.O. Barrett and Trent Pierce scored 16 points each for Missouri, which won for the fifth time in seven games to keep its NCAA Tournament hopes alive.
Anthony Robinson II added 13 points as the Tigers improved to 14-2 at home. Mark Mitchell produced 10 points and nine assists.
Tanner led Vanderbilt with 27 points, five assists and three steals. Devin McGlockton scored 13 points and pulled down seven rebounds, and Nickel added 11 points.
Vanderbilt raced to a 9-3 lead inside the first two minutes. McGlockton scored seven of those points with a 3-point jumper and two put-backs.
Missouri responded with an 11-2 run to move ahead 14-11. Barrett converted a steal into a three-point play, then Stone’s 3-point jumper capped the surge.
The Tigers extended their lead to 23-15 with 7:27 left in the first half as Stone scored six unanswered points.
The Commodores cut their deficit to 31-28 with 1:20 left in the half, but the Tigers pushed out to a 36-30 halftime lead.
Missouri used a 10-0 run to extend its advantage to 47-33. Pierce and Stone fueled that surge with back-to-back 3-point jumpers.
Pierce’s steal and drunk increased the Tigers’ lead to 54-38 with 11:44 left. Missouri upped the margin to 21 points before Vanderbilt rallied.
The Commodores held the Tigers without a field goal for the final 3:00. After Chandler Bing’s tip-in cut the gap to 79-77 with six seconds left, Barrett hit the two free throws that proved decisive.
