COLUMBIA, Mo. — Midway through the first half Wednesday at Mizzou Arena, Missouri’s suddenly potent 3-point shooters flirted with history. Through just eight minutes of action against hapless LSU, Dennis Gates’ Tigers had already drained nine 3-pointers, almost halfway to the team’s single-game record.

Mizzou fell short of the mark — the Tigers connected on 20 against Colorado in 2002 — but had more than enough firepower to win its third straight game and extend LSU’s losing streak to nine, holding on for an 87-77 victory. After the blistering start from deep, MU finished 13 of 27 from 3-point range.

Down to 10 scholarship players, Gates’ Tigers (17-5, 5-4 SEC) had the best player on the floor — again — and followed the lead of senior forward Kobe Brown, who logged his seventh 20-point game of the season, powering the Tigers with 26 points while missing just one shot in 36 minutes. Making a push for SEC player of the year honors, Brown did his damage on just 11 shots, while adding eight rebounds, five assists and two steals.

Mizzou had some lapses on the defensive end in the second half but got just enough rebounding from Brown and Mohamed Diarra to hold off LSU in the closing minutes. Noah Carter and DeAndre Gholston both added 14 points in the win, while Isiaih Mosley scored 12. KJ Williams led LSU with 15.

With the win, Missouri snapped an eight-game losing streak to LSU (12-10, 1-8), beating the Tigers for just the second time in 14 all-time meetings. Mizzou hadn’t beaten LSU since Kim Anderson’s first SEC victory way back on Jan. 8, 2015. Wednesday’s game was the first meeting since LSU ended Mizzou’s season at last year’s SEC tournament in Tampa, launching the coaching change that landed Gates in Columbia. MU heads to Baton Rouge for the rematch on March 1.

At the midpoint of the SEC season, Mizzou enters the weekend alone in seventh place in the conference, a game behind Kentucky and Florida, both 6-3 in SEC action. From here, MU goes back on the road for Saturday’s game at Mississippi State (14-8, 2-7).

The Tigers were coming off their most prolific two-game 3-point shooting stretch since 2009, making 30 of 60 from deep against Ole Miss and Iowa State. They didn’t cool off with Wednesday’s late start. Carter came in making just 2 of his last 14 3s but splashed three in the opening five minutes. Brown knocked down 5 of 6 in the first half alone. Mizzou scorched the nets in the first half — 11 for 23 from deep — despite D’Moi Hodge missing his only attempt from behind the arc.

Wednesday’s first half put on display how much Mizzou’s offensive skill and philosophy have changed in Gates’ first season: The 11 first-half 3-pointers would have matched last year’s season-high total.

Mizzou’s Mosley put together an eventful sequence midway through the opening half. After air-balling a deep 3, Mosley chased down Tyrell Ward on the next possession and swatted his transition layup from behind, then stared down Ward before jogging back down the floor, lucky to avoid a technical foul. Mosley drilled a jumper on MU’s next possession, then knocked down a 3-pointer seconds later, good for a 31-16 lead.

Brown, back on the floor in the half’s final minutes with two fouls, followed his fifth 3-pointer with a defensive stop on LSU’s next possession, drawing a charge from Trae Hannibal in the paint.

Under first-year coach Matt McMahon and a fleet of first-year transfers, including three off last year’s 31-win Murray State team, LSU came into Wednesday’s game last in the SEC in scoring and shooting against SEC competition. The Tigers perked up from behind the 3-point arc at times and used a 9-0 run late in the first half to get within single digits of Mizzou’s lead.

Mizzou played without guard Tre Gomillion, who missed his third straight game with a groin injury, and forward Ronnie DeGray III, who was out with an undisclosed injury.