Down by three with nine seconds to play in her team’s 61-56 victory over Kansas State on Saturday at Mizzou Arena, Missouri coach Robin Pingeton called her final timeout and drew up a play for leading scorer Christine Flores.
But as junior guard Liene Priede received the inbounds pass, Flores was covered and the clock wound toward zero.
“I was looking for Christine but I couldn’t find her so I know the clock was winding down so I thought I may as well take the shot,” Priede said.
Priede took the shot and banked it in off the glass with 2.9 seconds to play to tie the game at 53 and force overtime.
“I had a feeling it was going to hit the backboard and go in … and it did,” Priede said. “Praise the Lord and thanks to Jesus.”
The Tigers pulled away from the Wildcats in the extra period to win their first home game of the season.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our players,” Pingeton said. “This is a big win. Kansas State is a very good team.”
The Tigers’ inside duo of Flores and senior forward BreAnna Brock led the scoring with 20 and 15 points, respectively.
The game saw the Tigers get off to a fast start, using a 7-0 run to jump out to a 12-4 lead, only for Kansas State to fight its way back to take a 19-18 lead with 7:18 remaining in the first half.
The teams traded baskets for the rest of the half and went to the locker room in a 27-27 deadlock.
Missouri promptly went on a 6-0 run to start the second half to open up a six-point lead, its largest of the second half.
The Wildcats would later use a 6-0 run of their own to grab a 50-43 advantage with 3:51 left.
The Tigers would not die as Flores and Priede scored the Tigers final 10 points to force overtime.
In the overtime period, the Tigers used another five points from Priede to pull away to the five-point victory.
Kansas State coach Deb Patterson said she was impressed with Missouri’s improvement since the Tigers’ 26-point loss in January at the Wildcats’ home.
“I think they are significantly better,” Patterson said. “They probably have become more competitive in my opinion now than they were earlier in the season when they weren’t really sure who they were.”
The Tigers will be back in action on Tuesday when they host the Texas Longhorns on senior night. Seniors Flores, Brock and Bailey Gee will be making their final appearance at Mizzou Arena.