Tigers look to improve to 2-0
The Tigers got off to a rough start Saturday in their season opener against Prairie View A&M. After trailing 8-2 early, Missouri turned to its veterans in senior forward Leo Lyons and junior guard J.T. Tiller to bring them back into the competition.
The Tigers rallied back and eventually took a 19-14 advantage. With the lead, coach Mike Anderson turned to his bench to take over. The freshmen dominated the next eight minutes of play as no Tiger with over a year of experience scored. Missouri was able to open up a twelve point lead as freshmen scored 16 consecutive points. After that, the Tigers never really looked back and cruised on to an 87-58 victory.
The quality of opponent should be better tonight with Chattanooga coming to town. While the Mocs got destroyed in their first game, they took on perennial powerhouse Tennessee. Chattanooga brings a lot of experience to the table with four seniors and one junior in the starting lineup.
Technically, this matchup is the first round of the Puerto Rico Tournament, but it has no bearings on the actual competition. This game isn't going to be an easy one for the Tigers. They'll have to focus on minimizing turnovers and getting off to a quick start.