Earnest Ross and Tony Criswell honored on senior night

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Midway through the first half, Missouri junior Jabari Brown air-balled a three-pointer from the left wing. It was symbolic of the Tigers’ sub-27 percent shooting clip, including a one-for-eight performance from three-point distance.

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Missouri, which had a season-high 19 assists Saturday against Mississippi State, had two assists and 10 turnovers in the first half.

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Texas A junior Jamal Jones missed the front end of a one-and-one with 8.1 seconds remaining. Missouri senior Earnest Ross was fouled rebounding the miss and subsequently hit the game-winning free throws.

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Ross had been scoreless before racking up seven points, two steals and a rebound in the final 1:06 as Missouri rallied for a come-from-behind victory.

Before the game, seniors Tony Criswell and Earnest Ross were honored as part of senior night festivities before their final home game at Mizzou Arena — barring the possibility of an NIT game.

It was, as always for the seniors, a fantastic moment for Missouri’s seniors.

“Being able to play in front of the people that really care about us and support us, that is something I will not have a chance to do anymore,” Ross said.

Criswell and Ross were each presented with a framed jersey with their numbers and were joined at midcourt by their families.

Criswell, who spent time at Alabama-Birmingham and Independence (Kan.) Community College before arriving at Missouri for two seasons, averaged 4.6 points and 4.2 rebounds in 58 games for the Tigers, while Ross has appeared in 64 games during the last two seasons, averaging 12.0 points and 5.6 rebounds.

• Freshman Torren Jones was suspended for the first half after violating team rules, but he provided a spark off the bench in the second half.

Jones scored five points with four rebounds, an assist, a steal and a turnover in 13 minutes.

“Obviously, he gave us a great lift in the second half,” Missouri coach Frank Haith said. “He plays with a lot of energy, a lot of passion, gets his hands on a lot of balls at a time when we needed it and needed that kind of energy.”

• Jakeenan Gant — a senior at Effingham Country High School in Springfield, Ga., who signed with Missouri in November — was chosen as Georgia’s Mr. Basketball on Wednesday at the Atlanta Tipoff Club.

Gant, a 6-foot-8 forward, averaged 21.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 4.0 blocks and 2.8 assists as a senior. He was the Georgia Class AAAAA player of the year as a junior.

This story was originally published March 5, 2014 at 10:48 PM with the headline "Earnest Ross and Tony Criswell honored on senior night."