Tigers earn victory in home opener against Lincoln

Each player who got playing time scored, and five reached double digits.

By Lenny Goldman

Published Nov. 7, 2008

In a 97-54 victory over Lincoln University, not a single Tiger played more than half the game. Senior forward Leo Lyons and freshman guard Marcus Denmon led Missouri with 12 points each, but Thursday night was all about balance.

Every player that touched the court scored, and five hit double figures.

"I don't think any team in the nation is going to be as deep as us," junior guard Zaire Taylor said. "We got 14 guys that can play. When everybody comes ready to play, they're going to be in trouble."

Missouri took advantage of an unpolished Lincoln team that turned the ball over 38 times.

"We like to create," Taylor said. "We like to make teams uncomfortable. We want to make it the tempo that we play at everyday. If you do it everyday you get used to it, whereas they come in and they're not used to playing that fast."

Anderson tested multiple defensive looks including a 2-3 zone, a half-court man and a full-court press. Missouri was able to provide pressure with all of its schemes as Lincoln shot just 30.9 percent from the field.

"It's a lot of instincts," Denmon said. "Myself, I feel more comfortable out there playing man-to-man because you get to go out there and create a lot of pressure. We practice everything every day so it's all natural to us."

Offensively, the Tigers pushed the ball hard all game. They had a lot of success running a fast break-oriented offense and having players attack the paint. Missouri shot just more than 50 percent from the floor.

"We always try to push it," Denmon said. "When we get the ball off the boards we want to try and push it at them. It's not always to try and attack the basket, it's to attack the defense before they set up."

Of the seven newcomers on the roster for Missouri, Denmon appeared to be the most poised in the team's first challenge against an outside team. He shot 83 percent and also contributed four assists.

"Denmon's a scorer, there's no question about it," coach Mike Anderson said. "He's got blood in his veins."

Taylor sparked the Tigers early with 11 points in the first half, but he cooled down quickly after missing three free throws.

"I kept trying to calm myself down," Taylor said. "Everyday for the past week I've been trying to stay focused and not get excited. I'm going to blame my free throws on that."

Thursday night was Taylor's debut against an opponent as he spent all of last season on the bench after transferring from Delaware.

Despite the 43-point victory, Anderson acknowledged that his team still has a lot to work on. The Tigers committed 22 turnovers and missed 14 free throws.

"The two areas that really went the way they shouldn't have were turnovers and free throws," he said. "You take care of that you'll see some more efficient stats from our basketball team."