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Taylor's jumper caps rally as Missouri edges Kansas

Feb 10, 2009 - 7:24 AM COLUMBIA, Missouri (Ticker) -- A friendly bounce gave Missouri Round One of the "Border War."

Zaire Taylor knocked down the game-winning jumper with 1.3 seconds remaining, lifting No. 19 Missouri to a thrilling 62-60 victory over 16th-ranked Kansas on Monday.

With the score tied, Missouri used up the game clock before Taylor received a pass on the right wing and made a move to get inside the arc. The junior swingman went up for the shot, hanging in the air before releasing the ball that bounced straight up off the far side of the rim before falling through.

"I feel like any of us could've made the shot," Taylor said. "It started with Leo (Lyons) he made an attack, got J.T. (Tiller) the ball - it was what coach set up. J.T. attacked and he found me, I had a pump fake and an open look and I knocked it down."

Cole Aldrich received the long inbounds pass near the Kansas foul line, but his off-balance shot at the buzzer clanged off the backboard, setting off a wild celebration at Mizzou Arena.

DeMarre Carroll scored 22 points and Leo Lyons added 13 for the Tigers (21-4, 8-2 Big 12), who forced 27 turnovers to offset some shaky shooting.

Missouri trailed by 14 at the break but battled back and eventually took a 60-58 lead on J.T. Tiller's short jumper with 50 seconds to go. The basket capped a 17-4 Tigers run.

"This is a rivalry game. I thought both teams left it out on the floor," Tigers coach Mike Anderson said. "I thought we made just one more play than Kansas did. They came out and I thought they took it to us in the first half, but we were much more aggressive in the second half.

"In the second half our guys came out with a different mindset, and we just kept hanging around and hanging around. Our defense in the second half was the difference in the game."

Mario Little answered to tie the game, knocking down a jumper from the right corner with 29 seconds left to end a drought of nearly eight minutes without a field goal for the Jayhawks.

Freshman Tyshawn Taylor was the only Kansas (19-5, 8-1) player in double figures with 11 points.

Both teams struggled to control their intensity early in the contest as they combined for seven turnovers and two baskets in the opening four minutes.

The Tigers held an early 7-2 lead, but the Jayhawks answered with a 20-6 run to take a 22-13 advantage with 7:57 to play in the first half. Tyrel Reed had a couple of 3-pointers during the burst.

Kansas' strong defense and probable nerves for Missouri contributed to the Jayhawks extending their lead to 30-16 at the intermission. The Tigers shot 24 percent (7-of-29) and committed 10 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes.

The Jayhawks held a 13-point lead early in the second half but the Tigers continued to force turnovers and chipped away, using a 12-2 run to cut the deficit to 46-43 with 9:44 left to play.

Kansas quickly answered as Taylor and freshman Travis Releford each converted a three-point play, capping an 8-0 run that pushed the lead back up to 54-43 with 8:19 left before Missouri took over down the stretch.

Carroll scored eight points and Lyons tied the game with a pair from the line with 90 seconds to play during the late run for Missouri, which was outrebounded, 48-28, and shot 18-of-27 from the foul line.

Kansas' leading scorer Sherron Collins was limited to just nine points. Aldrich finished with eight points, 15 rebounds and five blocks.