San Jose, Calif. ? As Missouri’s vocal leader, Clarence Gilbert tried everything from congratulatory pats to frustrated screams to keep his team’s miraculous run going in the NCAAs.

It didn’t help, though, that Gilbert missed 15 of 16 shots from the field Saturday.

After Oklahoma had finished its 81-75 victory over the 12th-seeded Tigers in the West Regional final to earn a Final Four berth, Gilbert quietly left the court with his head bowed.

“It was just one of those games. I wanted it really bad. Everyone wanted it really bad,” Gilbert said. “It just didn’t go our way tonight.”

Fouls, poor shooting from the field, turnovers and missed free throws cost Missouri, which has lost its last nine games against Oklahoma.

The surprising Tigers beat Miami, Ohio State and UCLA in the tournament by an average margin of 12.6 points to become the lowest-seeded team to reach the Elite Eight.

Gilbert was one of the big reasons for Missouri’s success. He averaged 19.7 points through the first three games and provided plenty of on-court leadership.

Midway through the first half against Oklahoma, Gilbert gathered his frustrated teammates in a huddle. The Tigers were losing ground to the Sooners quickly and were starting to bicker with each other.

Gilbert drew his long arms around his huddling teammates. They listened as he spoke calmly. The infighting stopped.

Down 27-18, the Tigers launched a comeback, briefly taking a 32-31 lead with 2:44 to go in the half.

But mistakes haunted the Tigers the rest of the way.

They had 15 turnovers and made only 20 of 34 free throws. Kareem Rush and Arthur Johnson got into early foul trouble  and eventually fouled out.

After one second-half foul, Gilbert yelled.

“In the second half, I felt I was going to get rolling and we were going to win the game. I just never got it started,” he said. “I thought we had a chance to win.”

Missouri, coached by 34-year-old Quin Snyder, redeemed itself with the strong tournament showing. The team started 9-0 to rise as high as No. 2 in the polls but then fell apart, including losses to Iowa, Illinois and DePaul in December.

“I’m unbelievably proud of what this team became,” Snyder said. “I believe this team became something special.”

In the Tigers’ 84-71 loss at Oklahoma on Jan. 21, Gilbert went 8-of-13 on three-pointers, setting a record for a Sooners opponent. He finished that day with a game-high 26 points.

“I’m happy with our team’s effort and I’m happy with this team,” Gilbert said. “And I’m always going to be proud of what coach Snyder was about.”