Gilbert Hoists Missouri to Four-Overtime Win

Four overtimes meant more chances for Clarence Gilbert to shoot through his mistakes.

Gilbert kept firing away, making 12 of 36 shots en route to a career-high 43 points, then blocked a last-second shot in the final overtime as Missouri outlasted No. 18 Iowa State, 112-109, Saturday.

It was first four-overtime game for Missouri, which is 12-3 overall, 8-0 at home and 3-0 in the Big 12. Iowa State is 13-3 and 1-2.

“I’m just doing whatever it takes to win the ballgame,” Gilbert said. “If it took 43 points or 50 or 60, I would have done it.”

Gilbert, who entered the game averaging 16.8 points, surpassed his previous high of 32 points in a double-overtime loss to Iowa in December. He broke Willie Smith’s 24-year-old school record for shots.

He made seven of 18 three-point shots but took several ill-advised attempts that had Coach Quin Snyder and a sellout crowd groaning.

“You can’t stop,” Gilbert said. “If you miss one, you miss two, you miss three, I don’t care if you miss 10, you might make 11. Then you’ve got to drive some.”

Gilbert blocked Jake Sullivan’s three-point attempt with one second left in the fourth overtime.

Kareem Rush had 32 points for Missouri, combining with Gilbert to take 67 of the team’s 90 shots.

“I don’t mind playing second fiddle,” said Rush, the Big 12’s leading scorer with a 22-point average. “If a guy can get that many points each night, that’s fine with me.”