How late-game heroics cemented Mizzou’s one-point road victory over Texas A&M
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- 15-second alley-oop and late block by Shawn Phillips Jr. sealed 86-85 win.
- Missouri overcame early 3-point defense woes to outscore Texas A&M late.
- Trent Pierce had 23 and T.O. Barrett added 17 as the Tigers boosted their resume.
The final seven minutes featured 13 lead changes and it was all on the line Wednesday evening at Texas A&M in College Station, Texas.
But the consistently inconsistent Missouri Tigers found a way to beat the Aggies 86-85 in a hotly contested Southeastern Conference men’s basketball showdown at Reed Arena.
The Aggies led for 22 minutes, 8 seconds, including taking a one-point lead into the final half-minute. But with 15 seconds remaining, Mizzou’s Mark Mitchell found Shawn Phillips Jr. open for an alley-oop dunk and the game’s last points.
Last points, because in the waning moments Phillips was just as important on the other end of the court: The senior center rejected an Aggie’s would-be winner from short range as time expired.
“He executed the play,” Missouri coach Dennis Gates told media in College Station after the game. “We knew we were going to be able to get that lob, and Shawn was able to execute it on the game winning play, and it was just a tremendous pass by Mark Mitchell. That just shows the amount of trust we have in each play.”
Trent Pierce led Missouri with 23 points, a career-high against a Power Conference opponent. He was 10-of-15 from the field. T.O. Barrett had 17 points, four assists and three steals.
Phillips finished with 12 points and eight rebounds, while Jacob Crews and Jayden Stone added 11 points apiece. Mitchell had nine points and a career-best eight assists.
For Mizzou (17-7, 7-4 SEC), the main struggle early was a lack of 3-point defense. Texas A&M (17-7, 7-4) lit it up from deep in the first half with 11 made 3-pointers, courtesy of nine different Aggies.
The Tigers, however, kept pace and trailed by just five at halftime. And when play ensued, MU succeeded in quieting A&M’s explosive offense. The Aggies went seven minutes without a field goal in the second half.
The Tigers didn’t stop scoring in the meantime, even grabbing an eight-point lead en route outscoring A&M 45-39 in the second half. The ride became more bumpy down the stretch, but the result was a resume-boosting win for MU as the NCAA Tournament nears.
“Our guys executed everything we needed to execute,” Gates said. “Being able to withstand a run on the road, win on the road, that’s a difficult task.”
Next up: The Tigers now head back to Columbia for some Valentine’s Day hoops. Looking for their fourth straight SEC victory, they play host to the Texas Longhorns on Saturday with tipoff set for 7:30 p.m.
This story was originally published February 11, 2026 at 10:50 PM.