University of Missouri
Colorado
Tigers Trample Colorado 77-65
2/10/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb 10, 2004
By R.B. FALLSTROM
AP Sports Writer
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) - Travon Bryant had 17 points, nine rebounds and six assists, and Missouri made it back to .500 with a 77-65 victory over Colorado on Tuesday night.
A late 18-2 run proved decisive for Missouri (10-10, 5-5 Big 12), which had lost two straight road games and fallen below the break-even mark for the first time in five seasons under coach Quin Snyder.
Jason Conley led the final charge, scoring seven of his 12 points, after Colorado had taken a 59-57 lead.
Arthur Johnson added 16 points and Rickey Paulding had 10 points and seven steals - one shy of the school record - as Missouri avenged its 83-70 loss at Colorado on Jan. 28.
Michel Morandais had 18 points for Colorado (13-8, 5-5) and David Harrison had eight points and 10 rebounds. Colorado made eight 3-pointers and got 12 points from reserve Marcus Hall.
But the 7-foot Harrison, a 56 percent free throw shooter, hurt the Buffaloes by going 2-for-11 at the line. Seven of the misses came in the final 10 minutes.
Missouri profited from a rare pre-game practice, which Snyder conducted about 90 minutes before the game. The session began with just Snyder and Bryant working on his shot, but soon blossomed with Snyder tossing passes from beyond the 3-point line.
Missouri has won seven in a row at home over Colorado, which fell to 1-4 on the road in conference play.
Bryant had streaks of 10 straight baskets and 11 straight free throws over a two-game span. The free-throw run ended when he missed a chance for a three-point play for the lead with 15:53 to go and he had been 5-for-5 from the field before misfiring on a 3-pointer with 8:23 left.
Bryant had 11 points and Johnson had 10 in the first half as Missouri emphasized its inside game for a 37-32 lead. Colorado committed 15 turnovers, nine of them in the first nine minutes, but kept it close with a 17-9 rebounding advantage.
Missouri played its first game since dismissing point guard Randy Pulley for skipping two practices. The Tigers also were without guard Josh Kroenke, whose leg was gashed on Monday when Thomas Gardner dunked and brought the backboard down on a practice court.
