Tigers explosive early

Five Missouri players scored in double digits.

By Lenny Goldman

Published Feb. 25, 2009

So much for being a second half team.

As soon as the Tigers were unleashed Wednesday night against Kansas State, they got to work. Missouri put up a conference season high 55 points in the first half, propelling the team to a 94-74 victory.

“This was a game we had in our eyes and we wanted to get payback,” senior forward Leo Lyons said. “Coach don’t want us to say that, but that’s what it was.”

The Tigers’ last loss came at the hands of the Wildcats on Jan. 28, when they went down 88-72 on the road.

Whatever the reasoning for the explosive first half, coach Mike Anderson appreciated the result.

“That first half was probably the best first half we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Anderson said.

The offensive production came from all over the court as three Tigers scored double digits in the opening half. Senior forward Matt Lawrence led the way with 12 points as he shot 3-for-3 from long range.

His biggest contribution came early when the game was close and Missouri held a 12-7 advantage. Lawrence scored the Tigers’ next seven points, including two 3-pointers. After his run, Missouri had a 19-12 cushion and never looked back.

But as always with Anderson’s squad, Missouri’s offense was a direct result of intense defense. The Tigers had 15 points from turnovers in the first half while K-State had none.

“We went out there on defense and it led to our offense,” senior forward DeMarre Carroll said. “People getting blocks and steals. It was basically all layups until the end of the half. Towards the end of the half we started knocking down shots.”

The Tigers offense also benefited from offensive rebounds. Missouri snagged 20 offensive boards against the best rebounding team in the Big 12 and scored 22 points on second chance opportunities.

“It was good to get those offensive rebounds because that’s significant to us,” Lyons said. “We just had to attack back. It was great for us because if we didn’t it probably would have been the same thing that happened last time.”

Freshman forward Lawrence Bowers matched his game-high 16 points and many of them came off of second chance opportunities. Bowers scored four points in the final 9 seconds of the first half. Both buckets followed an offensive board.

“He’s very athletic and he participates in a lot of rebounds,” Lyons said. “With the small time he’s given, he’s showing you what he can do. When he gets more time it’s going to be real good.”

Missouri carried its momentum into the second half. With a 23-point lead at the break, the Tigers relied on their seniors to finish the night off right.

After opening up a 32-point lead less than five minutes into the period, K-State crept back in it behind junior guard Denis Clemente, who led the Wildcats with 33 points. Kansas State went on a 13-0 run, but Carroll quickly stopped the charge.

He scored 15 points in the second half after only putting up six in the first. Carroll also finished the game with 14 rebounds in the game, including six offensive boards.

“That’s when senior leadership comes in,” Carroll said. “Myself, Matt and Leo, we stepped and tried to get our team in better focus. We went back up by 25 and picked up a big victory.”