Tigers trounce Golden Lions 91-45

Missouri's bench led the way with 50 points.

By Lenny Goldman

Published Dec. 2, 2008

When senior forward DeMarre Carroll swished a fade away jumper and hit a jump hook on the Tigers’ first two possessions of the night, it was clear that Missouri was going to dominate Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

The Tigers continued to hit tough shots while making it look easy in a 95-41 victory of the Golden Lions.

The starters provided a 7-0 cushion to begin the game. That lead grew to 22-4 with 10 minutes remaining in the first half, allowing coach Mike Anderson to get his bench plenty of minutes.

“We were able to get some guys in there earlier, when the game matters, and I think that’s important for us,” Anderson said.

Freshman guard Kim English led the reserves with 13. He had the hot hand from behind the arc and made three out of five 3-point attempts. As a whole Missouri’s bench outscored Pine Bluff’s 50-17. In fact, Missouri’s bench outscored Pine Bluff’s entire team.

“Valuable minutes for a guy like Kimmie English,” Anderson said. “Now you get to seem him play some minutes and see some of the things he’s capable of doing.”

While the bench shined, senior forward Leo Lyons had a rough first half. Lyons, who came into the game averaging 18.7 points per game, only hit one of his six field goal attempts in the first 15 minutes. He also struggled from the free throw line in the first half where he was three of six.

“There was some banging going on out there,” Anderson said. “You got to make the adjustment. Good players make the adjustment and he did. I think he was able to play a little stronger (in the second half).”

Lyon was able to turn his night around by contributing early in the second half. He ended the night with 13 points and six rebounds.

Carroll was able to make up for Lyons slow start by leading the team with 12 points in the first half. The first six, however, were the most memorable as they brought him to the 1,000-point mark for his career. Carroll finished with 13 points and eight rebounds.

“It’s a great honor, but there’s still a lot of basketball to be played,” Carroll said. “You get a pat on the back tonight, but right when it hits midnight we got to be ready to game plan.”

The Tigers were able to have a solid defensive game after giving up 83 points to Oral Roberts. They continued their trend of aggressive defense by forcing 41 turnovers.

“Our defense was probably the biggest difference in this game,” Anderson said. “I was disappointed in our defense when we played Oral Roberts the other night. I think we just outscored them.”

Missouri will now have to forget about the blowout win and prepare to take on a quality opponent Sunday in California.