COLUMBIA, Mo. — On a night when Dennis Gates scrambled his playing rotations, both by choice and necessity, Missouri’s coach turned to five veteran mainstays to close out Wednesday’s improbable comeback at Mizzou Arena.
And each one — from 22-year-old relative youngster DeAndre Gholston, to 23-year-olds Kobe Brown, Nick Honor and Sean East II, to the graybeard of the group, 24-year-old D’Moi Hodge — all proved clutch in the Tigers’ streak-busting 79-76 victory over No. 25 Arkansas. Down 10 points with five minutes left, Mizzou faced the kind of scenario that requires something close to perfection to execute a successful rally — and maybe some officiating fortune, too.