Boyceofsummer
11-15-2005, 12:41 AM
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/13168909.htm
Posted on Mon, Nov. 14, 2005
Missouri upset in season opener
By MIKE DeARMOND
The Kansas City Star
COLUMBIA — Belmont and Davidson came early this season for Missouri basketball.
Sam Houston State, in the first game of a seventh season that could be Quin Snyder’s last with the Tigers, knocked off the Tigers 80-77.
“Obviously,” Snyder said, “if we play like this its going to be an awfully long season.”
Forget that second-round Preseason NIT game the Tigers anticipated playing host to Thursday night at Mizzou Arena. Forget spending Thanksgiving in New York with an anticipated NIT semifinal against No. 1 Duke.
And forget the 32 straight home openers Missouri had won dating to 1973.
Try to forget that this MU basketball team couldn’t hang with a Southland Conference team it had an entire off-season to prepare for. Upset? Well, yes, of the same proportions as the game Missouri lost to Davidson here last season that had Jimmy McKinney screaming at his teammates. And yes, just like Belmont two seasons back, when Tigers fans in Shreveport, La. — where the football team was playing in the Independence Bowl — flooded out of a bar in disbelief at another mammoth MU hoops pratfall.
This was one of those nights.
“I think it’s reflective of us not accepting who we are,” Snyder said of the implication that Missouri took this opponent lightly. “And frankly I’m really surprised by that in light of what these guys have been through.
“I’m shocked that we don’t understand that. I thought that’s something that would be burned on our heart, the lessons about how much energy we have to play with.”
In one sense Missouri lost this game because a redheaded Bearkat sophomore named Ryan Bright (his coach calls him Opie) hit six of seven three-point shots and scored 28 points.
Missouri led 59-58 when Bright hit a three from the left of the key with 5 minutes, 5 seconds left that put Sam Houston State up 61-59. Another three by the Bearkats’ Jejuan Plair — his only one of the night — put Missouri in a 64-59 hole.
Thomas Gardner, who led MU with 23 points, and Marshall Brown, who had 20, kept Missouri within striking distance down the stretch.
Gardner hit a lane drive that got Missouri within 64-63, and then again attacked the rim and scored to pull MU within 66-65.
When Brown hit a lane jumper, was fouled and hit the bonus, Missouri had tied at 68-68 with 2:08 to play.
But then Bright was left open and drained another three from the left wing, and Sam Houston State got an inside bucket for a 73-68 bulge.
Bright and Gardner traded threes, then Gardner again connected on a three-pointer and pulled MU within 76-74 with 23.8 seconds to play.
Jimmy McKinney was forced to foul the Bearkats’ Chris Jordan, and Jordan hit both shots, putting MU in a 78-74 hole.
McKinney, at the other end, rose up from the right corner and the ball slipped out of his hands, over his head, and out of bounds. But after a pair of Plair free throws, McKinney hammered home a three with 7.5 seconds to play.
And when Plair missed two free throws and Brown rebounded for Missouri, the Tigers had one last gasp.
Jason Horton took it, forcing up a three from traffic on the right wing — and missed.
At one point in the first half Missouri trailed by 10. But the Tigers appeared to have righted themselves, and with 8:37 left in the game Missouri led 55-50.
Missouri got it to the rim most of the night. But the Tigers couldn’t put the basketball through the rim once they were there.
Kevin Young, MU’s starting center, hit only one of five shots. And except for Brown and Gardner, most of the other MU players had problems putting down point-blank shots most of the night.
“We played bad,” Young said. “Flat, we played bad.”
Brown added: “We took it for granted that we were going to come in here and win. That didn’t happened.”
The only Bright spot was on the other team, quite literally.
“I’ve never shot like that in my life before,” said Bright, who actually was the Southland Conference’s freshman of the year last season.
For Missouri it was another evening of infamy.
Like Belmont. Like Davidson.
Posted on Mon, Nov. 14, 2005
Missouri upset in season opener
By MIKE DeARMOND
The Kansas City Star
COLUMBIA — Belmont and Davidson came early this season for Missouri basketball.
Sam Houston State, in the first game of a seventh season that could be Quin Snyder’s last with the Tigers, knocked off the Tigers 80-77.
“Obviously,” Snyder said, “if we play like this its going to be an awfully long season.”
Forget that second-round Preseason NIT game the Tigers anticipated playing host to Thursday night at Mizzou Arena. Forget spending Thanksgiving in New York with an anticipated NIT semifinal against No. 1 Duke.
And forget the 32 straight home openers Missouri had won dating to 1973.
Try to forget that this MU basketball team couldn’t hang with a Southland Conference team it had an entire off-season to prepare for. Upset? Well, yes, of the same proportions as the game Missouri lost to Davidson here last season that had Jimmy McKinney screaming at his teammates. And yes, just like Belmont two seasons back, when Tigers fans in Shreveport, La. — where the football team was playing in the Independence Bowl — flooded out of a bar in disbelief at another mammoth MU hoops pratfall.
This was one of those nights.
“I think it’s reflective of us not accepting who we are,” Snyder said of the implication that Missouri took this opponent lightly. “And frankly I’m really surprised by that in light of what these guys have been through.
“I’m shocked that we don’t understand that. I thought that’s something that would be burned on our heart, the lessons about how much energy we have to play with.”
In one sense Missouri lost this game because a redheaded Bearkat sophomore named Ryan Bright (his coach calls him Opie) hit six of seven three-point shots and scored 28 points.
Missouri led 59-58 when Bright hit a three from the left of the key with 5 minutes, 5 seconds left that put Sam Houston State up 61-59. Another three by the Bearkats’ Jejuan Plair — his only one of the night — put Missouri in a 64-59 hole.
Thomas Gardner, who led MU with 23 points, and Marshall Brown, who had 20, kept Missouri within striking distance down the stretch.
Gardner hit a lane drive that got Missouri within 64-63, and then again attacked the rim and scored to pull MU within 66-65.
When Brown hit a lane jumper, was fouled and hit the bonus, Missouri had tied at 68-68 with 2:08 to play.
But then Bright was left open and drained another three from the left wing, and Sam Houston State got an inside bucket for a 73-68 bulge.
Bright and Gardner traded threes, then Gardner again connected on a three-pointer and pulled MU within 76-74 with 23.8 seconds to play.
Jimmy McKinney was forced to foul the Bearkats’ Chris Jordan, and Jordan hit both shots, putting MU in a 78-74 hole.
McKinney, at the other end, rose up from the right corner and the ball slipped out of his hands, over his head, and out of bounds. But after a pair of Plair free throws, McKinney hammered home a three with 7.5 seconds to play.
And when Plair missed two free throws and Brown rebounded for Missouri, the Tigers had one last gasp.
Jason Horton took it, forcing up a three from traffic on the right wing — and missed.
At one point in the first half Missouri trailed by 10. But the Tigers appeared to have righted themselves, and with 8:37 left in the game Missouri led 55-50.
Missouri got it to the rim most of the night. But the Tigers couldn’t put the basketball through the rim once they were there.
Kevin Young, MU’s starting center, hit only one of five shots. And except for Brown and Gardner, most of the other MU players had problems putting down point-blank shots most of the night.
“We played bad,” Young said. “Flat, we played bad.”
Brown added: “We took it for granted that we were going to come in here and win. That didn’t happened.”
The only Bright spot was on the other team, quite literally.
“I’ve never shot like that in my life before,” said Bright, who actually was the Southland Conference’s freshman of the year last season.
For Missouri it was another evening of infamy.
Like Belmont. Like Davidson.