Taylor comes up big for Missouri
Senior guard Zaire Taylor lived up to his nickname in Missouri’s overtime win against Iowa State Tuesday night.
Taylor earned the title “Big Shot” for his game-winning shots the past two seasons and was it at again in Ames, Iowa, as he beat the Cyclones with a banker high off the glass to give Missouri a 69-67 win.
The Tigers improved to 22-8 overall and 10-5 in the Big 12.
Taylor’s game-winning shot as time expired was made possible by another banker he made to tie the game at 61 with 18 seconds left in regulation. The senior finished with only six points on 3-of-10 shooting, but Taylor found a way to make his points count.
At times it looked as though Missouri would be upset by the Cyclones, as Iowa State gave Missouri all it could handle. The game was close all the way through: the score was tied at halftime and neither team had a lead greater than four points.
Near the end of overtime, the Cyclones looked poised to take the lead. After Taylor tied the game at 67 with 11 seconds left, Iowa State was on a fastbreak but ended up throwing the ball away with 6.1 seconds to go. The stage was set for Taylor’s heroics.
Iowa State had five players score in double digits, led by senior forward Marquis Gilstrap who scored 15 points and pulled down 13 rebounds. Junior forward Craig Brackins also put up a double-double with 14 points and 10 boards.
As for Missouri, senior guard J.T. Tiller put up 17 points and sophomore guard Marcus Denmon 16 points as Missouri shot 43.9 percent from the field.