Missouri grounds Skyhawks
Sophomore forward Laurence Bowers had another strong performance.
Published Nov. 17, 2009
Before their season-opening game against Tennessee-Martin, the Tigers raised banners commemorating last season’s Big 12 Tournament Championship and appearance in the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament.
After the pregame ceremony, the Tigers got down to business to defend their title by knocking off the Skyhawks 83-68.
“The season is officially here, and it’s great for our guys to go out and get a win,” coach Mike Anderson said. “We didn’t cash in on as many turnovers as we normally would. We rebounded the ball tonight, and we had 14 steals. I thought we caused havoc. We disrupted what Tennessee-Martin wanted to do.”
After falling behind 9-8 early in the first half, Missouri regained the lead on a field goal by sophomore guard Kim English and never looked back. Sophomore forward Laurence Bowers was a force all night for the Tigers and scored 14 of his 16 points in the first half. His reverse dunk on an alley-oop in the second half energized the Tigers, who appeared to be losing focus with a comfortable lead.
“(The dunk) is something I’ve seen in practice,” sophomore guard Marcus Denmon said. “It’s something that he works at, and he’s good at it, so I figured, why not?”
Anderson has been impressed with Bowers since the preseason.
“He’s playing well, and he’s playing with a lot of confidence,” Anderson said. “He has tremendous instincts for the game. If you just watch him, it looks like he’s very smooth out there. It seems like he’s in the right place at the right time. And that’s something you can’t teach.”
Bowers had some help on the court as well. Senior forward Keith Ramsey added 15 points, while sophomore center Steve Moore received extensive play off the bench and contributed eight points in 18 minutes. Junior forward Justin Safford made his presence felt as well.
“I think we all played well, the five ‘bigs’ that did get in,” Bowers said. “ 'Big Steve' came off the bench and helped us a lot. I think our bench was real important in what we did today. And Justin and Keith played very well too.”
Missouri did have their share of struggles on the court. After shooting 50 percent from the field in the first half, that number dropped to 38.2 percent in the second half.
And the injury bug hit some key Tigers as well. English appeared to be shaken up after hitting his head on the ground in the first half. In the second half, senior guard J.T. Tiller landed awkwardly on his left ankle and did not return to the game due to a sprained left foot.
The Tigers was able to offset the injuries with strong play from their bench. The group contributed 45 of the team’s 83 points.
“Coach always says that we’re only as good as our bench,” Denmon said. “We need our bench to play well for our team to play well as a whole. So when you get in there, you’ve got to make the best out of the time that you’re in there playing, whether it be one or two minutes or 20 minutes. Even if you’re coming off the bench, you’re still in there contributing.”