Kobe Brown had 26 points, eight rebounds and five assists as Missouri defeated LSU 87-77 Wednesday in Columbia, Mo., for its third straight victory.
Noah Carter and DeAndre Gholston scored 14 points each and Isiaih Mosley added 12 for Missouri (17-5, 5-4 in the Southeastern Conference), which never trailed in the game.
KJ Williams had 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Derek Fountain had 11 points and 11 rebounds for LSU (12-10, 1-8), which suffered its ninth straight loss.
LSU also got 13 points from Justice Hill, 11 each from Adam Miller and Trae Hannibal, and 10 from Cam Hayes.
Missouri went 13-for-27 from 3-point range and shot 55.9 percent overall.
The hosts bolted to an 8-0 lead on their first three possessions to set the game’s brisk pace. Brown and Carter hit 3-point shots, then D’Moi Hodge scored on a back-door cut.
LSU stabilized by crashing the offensive boards and getting put-back baskets from Fountain and Williams to cut its deficit to 11-7
Missouri countered with a 23-9 surge, started by Carter and Brown hitting additional 3-pointers, to push out to a 34-16 lead.
Miller and Hill hit 3-point jumpers as LSU tightened the game with a 9-0 run. Brown later answered with a dunk off the break and still another 3-point jumper as Missouri finished the half with a 48-35 lead.
Both teams came out hot in the second half and traded baskets. Missouri expanded its lead to 70-52 when Nick Honor scored in the lane and Gholston hit a 3-point jumper on consecutive possessions.
LSU used a 9-2 surge, capped by second-chance baskets by Williams and Fountain, to cut the Missouri lead to 77-66 with 7:34 to play.
But LSU could get no closer down the stretch until Miller’s 3-pointer with 16 seconds left created the final margin.
–Field Level Media