Tigers frustrated by loss to Oral Roberts

Tiller said he wants the team to play an entire game strong.

By Evan Glantz

Published Dec. 11, 2009

The Tigers led Oral Roberts for 19 minutes and 59 seconds in the second half of Wednesday night's game. But it was the last second that doomed Missouri, as the team fell to the Golden Eagles 60-59.

"We have to realize that the game is not 20 minutes, not 35 minutes but it's a whole 40 minutes," senior guard J.T. Tiller said. "For about 15 or 16 minutes in the second half, we definitely held our own. We just didn't play with poise and finish out the 20-minute half like we should have."

Missouri was losing for most of the first half, falling behind 20-10 at one point. But the Tigers kept chipping away, and junior forward Justin Safford's late jumper capped a 12-0 run that put the Tigers on top 26-24 heading into halftime.

But as the Tigers came roaring from behind, the Golden Eagles made a comeback and swooped in to steal the win. Sophomore forward Dominique Morrison carried Oral Roberts down the stretch. He scored seven of his 21 points in the final four minutes. It was junior forward Michael Craion who sealed the win for the Golden Eagles on a last-second layup and an interception of Missouri's ensuing inbound pass.

"I thought it was a game in which we were in position to win, but we just didn't finish it," coach Mike Anderson said. "I'm very disappointed because we were in position where we had to make plays, whether it be stops or free throws. We just didn't get it done."

Anderson sensed a lack of energy from his squad early in the game.

"I don't think we forced our will on them," Anderson said. "It requires energy, and I don't think we came out with the necessary energy to get that started. When you saw that, at times, I thought the game was going in our direction. We disrupted what they wanted to do, and it gave us kind of a rhythm and an even flow on offense. But we didn't do it enough."

Another issue for the Tigers was the fact they made their way to the free throw line just one time in the first half. In the second half, that total bumped up to two free throw attempts, both of which were missed.

"It's a matter of the half-court game," Anderson said. "We've got to attack the basket. We talked about being tough at the rim. When you attack the rim, you make people foul you. We didn't get there last night, which is kind of strange."

The game against Oral Roberts was Missouri's third game on the road, and fourth away from the cozy confines of Mizzou Arena. Although the Tigers sport a 23-game winning streak at home (including a 4-0 record this season), they are 1-3 on the road this year. Consistency is something for which the team has been striving.

"This team has a lot of heart," Tiller said. "This is the first year where coach Anderson actually has his guys. Everybody came to play this type of pressure game. All in all, I think we're going to be all right."