Mizzou rallies back from 20-point deficit, beats Minnesota on the road

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (KMIZ)

With just nine seconds left in Thursday night's game against Minnesota, Sean East got a go-ahead bucket to fall to give Mizzou its first lead of the game, and ultimately, a 70-68 comeback victory on the road. The Tigers improved their record to 3-1 on the season after shocking the Golden Gophers at Williams Arena.

Minnesota led the game for the entire first half, beginning the contest by draining seven of its first eight shots including five three-pointers. The Golden Gophers led the Tigers by as much as 10 points in the opening half after Mike Mitchell Jr. hit a triple to give Minnesota a 30-20 lead.

The Tigers cut into the deficit with a 7-0 run, capped off by a contested bucket by Caleb Grill to make it a 30-27 game. However, Minnesota held the lead for the entire first half, taking a 38-32 lead with them to the locker room.

The Tigers trailed by 20 points at about the 11-minute mark of the second half, but Mizzou rallied to outscore Minnesota 31-9 the rest of the way. Nick Honor sparked an initial 10-2 run to cut the Golden Gophers' lead to 61-49 with just over nine minutes left in the contest, and Mizzou battled all the way back, tying the game 67-67 on a free throw by Tamar Bates with about two minutes remaining in the game. East's clutch bucket in the final seconds sealed the comeback win.

Honor was Mizzou's leading scorer, finishing the game with 16 points. Noah Carter was right behind him, scoring 13 points and adding six rebounds.

Connor Vanover made his Mizzou debut after serving his three-game NCAA suspension for participating in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament. He grabbed two rebounds but did not score a point.

As a team, Mizzou made 44 percent of its shots, including eight three-pointers.

Up next - Dennis Gates' crew returns to Mizzou Arena to host Jackson State on Sunday, Nov. 19. Tipoff for that game is scheduled for 5 p.m.