(Photo Credit: Clayton Hotze- MUTigers.com)
Fittingly on senior night Keith Shamburger dominated the floor with a team high 21 points, six rebounds, and four assists in his final game at Mizzou Arena. The Tigers were able to edge out a late victory with a last second shot to push past Auburn 63-61.
Missouri honored two senior Tigers in Keanau Post and Shamburger with a special half time ceremony during Tuesday night’s home finale against Auburn.
Missouri jumped out to an early lead hitting 4-6 from the field to start the game giving the Tigers an early advantage. From there the Tigers held a steady lead as Johnathan Williams III and Namon Wright delivered contributions to maintain a lead through most of the first half.
At the break the teams were tied at 30-30.
In the second half D’Angelo Allen helped Missouri with a pair of buckets to extend its lead to a pair 37-35. Allen has been one of the more inconsistent freshmen on Kim Anderson’s squad as the four points was his only contribution on the night.
A strong second half from KT Harrell helped Auburn build an eight-point lead with less than five to play. Harrell registered a game high 24 points and added three boards as well.
Anderson must have lit a fire under his guys following a Missouri timeout as the Tigers drilled three three-point attempts on three possession to make it a ball game down by four, 61-57, with four minutes left in regulation.
Down the stretch Shamburger connected on a pair of free throws to pull Missouri within two before knocking down the game winner to seal the victory for the Tigers 63-61.
While it might not have any implications as to how the SEC tournament seeding will play out it was great to see the Tigers pick up a win in their final home contest of the season.
In a season that won’t be remembered for good reasons Shamburger stepped up on his big day and put in his best performance all year. The shots were dropping and the three-ball was working for Missouri as they connected on 44 percent of their attempts.
Maybe the Tigers have a late fight in them? Doubtful, but one can always hope.
Missouri concludes the regular season next on the road at Mississippi State on Saturday.
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