Sports Zone Dec. 30, 2023: SEMO men’s basketball wins overtime thriller in conference opener, Mizzou football makes statement in Cotton Bowl

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KBSI) – In between days of the Southeast Missourian Christmas tournament, the Southeast Missouri State men’s basketball team welcomed Southern Indiana to the Show-Me Center, and this game was not for the faint of heart.

SEMO led the entire second half and opened up a nine-point lead with two minutes left, but the Screaming Eagles came storming back, and Jack Campion threw up a desperation, 3-point heave at the buzzer that tied the game and sent it to overtime. 

And then, in overtime, it was the Rob Martin show… Martin scored 11 of his career-high 29 points in the five-minute period, and when the game came down to the final possession tied at 91, who else’s hands would the ball be in?? Martin sinks the game-winner with a second to go, and the Redhawks begin conference play 1-0… They will host Ohio Valley Conference preseason favorite Morehead State tomorrow afternoon. 

And on the college gridiron, the Missouri Tigers were trying to cap off their best season in a decade with a New Years Six bowl win over Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. 

It was a defensive slugfest, as the Buckeyes had to turn to their third string quarterback while in the meantime holding Mizzou off the scoreboard for the first three quarters.

Then on the first play of the fourth quarter, Cody Schrader, maybe the best story in college football this year, scored to put the Tigers on top 7-3. 

And the Tigers next drive would be the nail in the coffin for the Buckeyes. Brady Cook zipped a pass to Luther Burden for the touchdown to cap off a 13-play, 91-yard drive. 

And then how fitting is this, on an Ohio State third down with just over three minutes to go, the defense came up with one last stop. Daylan Carnell with the strip sack, Joe Moore with the recovery, and the Mizzou Tigers are the Cotton Bowl champions. 

Here’s Mizzou head coach Eliah Drinkwitz on his team’s gritty performance. 

“We talk about developing an elite edge, and the ‘g’ in edge stands for ‘grit: a stubborn refusal to quit,’ and that’s what our team displayed tonight,” he said. “To score 14 in the fourth quarter when you’re down 3-0, just really, really proud of those guys.”