Turnovers and missed free throws haunted Wichita State in an 88-84 overtime loss to Missouri Tuesday night at Charles Koch Arena.
Craig Porter Jr. and Jaykwon Walton scored 14 points apiece for WSU (4-3) which led by 10 with 5:12 to play.
The Shockers shot 54.1 percent from the field and made a season-best 12 three-pointers but committed 20 turnovers and missed eight of their 14 free throw attempts.
Noah Carter scored 12 of his game-high 20 points over the last five minutes of regulation plus overtime to help Missouri (8-0) extend its unbeaten start. D’Moi Hodge and Sean East II added 19 and 17 points respectively.
The Tigers entered the day as the national leader in steals (13.9) and turnover margin (+10) and improved on those numbers with 16 thefts and a +12 differential.
Mizzou outscored WSU 26-7 in fast break points and 29-18 off turnovers.
For WSU, Jaron Pierre Jr. (13 points), Xavier Bell (12) and Gus Okafor (11) also finished in double-figures.
Walton added 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the season, while Porter and Shammah Scott each handed out five assists.
Mizzou forced 13 Shocker turnovers in the first 20 minutes of action and led 43-36 at halftime.
WSU committed just one turnover in the first 14 minutes of the second half and saw its fortunes take a turn for the better.
The Tigers made 6-of-17 threes in the first half but were 1-of-16 in the second half plus overtime. They finished the game at 42.3 percent from the field and converted 15-of-21 free throws.
The Shockers flipped a nine-point deficit into a seven-point lead with a 16-0 run early in the half. Bell and Walton combined for 13 during that stretch, and the defense held Mizzou scoreless for more than six minutes.
Another 10-0 Shocker push, capped by back-to-back Pierre threes, made it a 64-55 game with 6:36 to play.
The margin ballooned to 66-56 at the 5:12-mark on a pair of James Rojas free throws.
Mizzou made seven of its next eight shots and re-took the lead on Carter’s three-point play with 1:56 left in regulation.
The Shockers quickly responded with an Okafor triple but missed 3-of-4 free throws over the final 62 seconds.
Mizzou tied the game at 75 with 9.7 seconds left when Hodge made the second of two free throws.
WSU had a chance to win at the end of regulation, but Porter’s jumper in the lane missed short.
Mizzou scored the first six points in overtime to take control.
WSU’s free throw woes continued when Porter clanked the front end of a one-and-one and Okafor missed 2-of-3. Meanwhile, Mizzou was 7-for-7 at the line during the extra period.
NOTABLE:
Mizzou’s 16 steals were the most by a Shocker opponent since Feb. 28, 1994 (16 at Drake).
Porter swatted three more shots to pad his conference-leading total. 14 of his 16 blocks have come over the last four games.
The Shockers lost for only the second time under Isaac Brown when scoring 70+ points in regulation (23-2) and for only the fifth time when outshooting their opponent from the field (23-5).
WSU has topped 50 percent from the field in four straight halves to raise its season shooting percentage from .399 to .438.
UP NEXT:
The Shockers are at Kansas State on Saturday night. The 8 p.m. CT tip airs nationally on ESPNU.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)