A short-handed Missouri team managed to hand South Carolina its second-straight loss on Tuesday night in a 72-67 win.

Missouri (10-16, 3-10 SEC) announced the dismissal of junior guard Wes Clark an hour before tip-off, and then took advantage of a cold-shooting game by the Gamecocks (21-5, 8-5) to lead by as many as 15 points before holding on for the win.

Missouri's depth issues nearly doomed them late in the game.

Freshman forward Kevin Puryear fouled out with less than three minutes to go, leading to two made free throws by South Carolina forward Michael Carrera to give the Gamecocks their first lead of the game at 63-62 with 2:57 remaining.

Four lead changes ensued, until a layup by sophomore guard Namon Wright gave Missouri a three-point lead with 34 seconds to go. Carrera lost the ball out of bounds on an attempt to the basket, and after a review, the call was overturned, giving the Tigers the ball to hang on.

Without Clark, Missouri leaned heavily on Wright, guard Tramaine Isabell and freshman guard Terrance Phillips. That trio each combined for 36 points.

South Carolina endured a poor shooting night from leading scorers Carrera and guard Sindarius Thornwell, combining to make six of 21 shots. Guard Duane Notice led all scorers with 21 points.