Dec. 5, 2005
Columbia, MO -
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Mizzou concludes its two-game road swing this evening when it travels to Davidson, N.C., to face the Davidson Wildcats ... The Tigers will look to build on their strong finish during Friday's 66-63 road defeat at Arkansas ... Missouri trailed by as many as 14 in the second period vs. the Razorbacks, but rallied to take a pair of one-point leads in the game's final 2:06 ... Now, Mizzou will look to snap a three-game road losing streak as it plays its final road contest until a Jan. 10, 2006, trip to Norman, Okla., to face the Oklahoma Sooners ... Missouri's last road win was a 56-53 triumph at Nebraska on Feb. 19, 2005 ... Tonight's game is the second meeting between Missouri and Davidson ... The Wildcats claimed an 84-81 win over the Tigers on Nov. 19, 2004, at Mizzou Arena ... Davidson shot 60.0 percent (27-of-45) from the floor and 55.6 percent (10-of-18) from three-point range in the win ... Matt McKillop scored 28 points in the Wildcat victory thanks to 5-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc ... Mizzou is 65-39 in non-conference play under Quin Snyder and 2-1 vs. the Southern Conference ... Prior to last season's game vs. Davidson, Snyder has led Mizzou to wins over Western Carolina (85-68 on Nov. 21, 1999) and UNC Greensboro (100-89 on Dec. 21, 2003) ... Mizzou will also play Furman on Dec. 18 at Mizzou Arena ... The Tigers are playing their first game in the state of North Carolina since the 2002 NCAA Tournament, where they defeated Georgia (March 15) 70-68 and fell to No. 1 Duke 94-81 (March 17).
Tiger Trends (Team Quick-Hitters)
l Mizzou has won four of its last six non-conference (regular-season) road games under Quin Snyder and will look to keep that run alive tonight at Davidson ... Mizzou's most recent non-conference road win came on Dec. 6, 2003, in Bloomington, Ind., when the Tigers defeated the Hoosiers 63-58 at Assembly Hall ... The Tigers also own road wins at Oakland (Nov. 29, 2003), Iowa (Jan. 4, 2002) and St. Louis (Dec. 3, 2001) during the stretch ... This streak does not include numerous neutral-court games vs. Illinois, Gonzaga, USC, Xavier, etc ...
l Friday's game at Arkansas was the 200th of Quin Snyder's career ... Only three coaches, George Edwards (353), Wilbur Stalcup (374) and Norm Stewart (967) have coached more games on the Mizzou sideline than Snyder.
l Mizzou has made at least one three-point field goal in every game under Quin Snyder (200 games) ... The Tigers have made multiple treys in 197 of those 200 games, including double-figure triples (10+) 55 times.
l After ranking 11th in the Big 12 in three-point shooting percentage last season (30.6), the Tigers are third in the league this year (38.8) and are coming off a season-best 9-of-18 (50.0) effort at Arkansas on Dec. 2.
l The Tigers continue to be one of the top offensive rebounding clubs in the Big 12 ... Led by Kevin Young's 6.3 offensive boards, Mizzou is averaging 14.8 offensive caroms a night, which is fourth in the league.
l Mizzou continues to be a strong second-half club, outscoring each of its four opponents by an average of 44.3-to-36.0 (177-to-144) over the final 20 minutes ... That scoring discrepancy has increased to 42.5-to-32.0 over the last three games, thanks to a 54-37 scoring surge against Northwestern State (81-72 win), a 36-27 advantage vs. UMKC (60-42 win) and a 37-32 advantage at Arkansas (66-63 defeat).
l While the Tigers tend to pick up the offensive pace in the second half, their defensive presence has been felt early and often ... So far this season Mizzou is allowing opponents to average just 29.0 points in the first half on just 38.3 percent shooting (45-of-117) from the floor.
l Mizzou is settling into its playing rotation and have had eight players reach double figures in minutes over the last two outings ... Seven Tigers are currently averaging at least 12.8 minutes per game and freshman Matt Lawrence played a career high 11 minutes at Arkansas on Dec. 2.
l Missouri continues to be tough on opponents from three-point range ... Over their last five halves of basketball, Mizzou opposition is shooting just 21.7 percent (10-of-46) from three-point range, including 5-of-14 shooting by Arkansas (35.7 percent) on Dec. 2 ... In the second half of the Tiger's 81-72 win against Northwestern State, Mizzou held the Demons to just 2-of-9 (22.2 percent) shooting from bonus distance ... On Nov. 29 against UMKC, the Tigers held the Kangaroos to a 3-of-23 (13.0 percent) success rate from beyond the arc, which included a stretch of 10 consecutive misses.
l Mizzou's defensive effort against UMKC had numerous record book implications ... The 42 points scored by the Kangaroos were the fewest by an MU opponent since a 45-42 win over DePaul on Nov. 24, 1997, in the opening round of the Maui Invitational ... UMKC's 15 first-half points were the fewest in the two-year history of Mizzou Arena ... The 15 total field goals by the Kangaroos were also the fewest in the history of the building and was the lowest total by Tiger opposition since Arkansas-Pine Bluff netted just 11 buckets on Dec. 9, 1998.
Tigers Tidbits (Player Quick-Hitters)
l Kevin Young continues to be one of the Big 12's top rebounders ... Young is nearly averaging a double-double with 10.0 points and 9.8 rebounds and ranks second in the league with his 9.8 boards per game ... The Kingston, Jamaica, native has yet to have fewer than seven rebounds in a contest this year and his 6.3 offensive rebounds per game paces the conference.
l Young has also provided a consistent scoring presence and has topped double figures in points twice in four games... Entering the year, Young had just one career double figure scoring effort.
l Marshall Brown continues to be Mizzou's most efficient player from the field ... The sophomore forward is shooting 59.4 percent from the floor and 60.0 percent (3-of-5) from three-point range.
l Brown has also reached double figures in scoring three times this season, including a career high 20 points in the season-opener against Sam Houston State ... With his 10-point night at Arkansas, Brown has reached double figures in back-to-back games for the first time in his career.
l Jason Horton continues to be one of the Big 12's top three assist-men ... Horton is averaging 5.3 dimes a game and has a 1.8-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio ... The Dallas native also ranks fourth among Big 12 performers with 2.5 steals per game.
l Also, has there been a better perimeter defender in the Big 12 than Horton thus far? The sophomore held UMKC's Quinton Day (Southern Cal transfer) 20.5 points below his season average of 27.5 points in Mizzou's 60-42 win on Nov. 29 and held Arkansas point guards Eric Ferguson (1-of-5), Dontell Jefferson (1-of-1) and Sean McCurdy (0-of-0) to a combined 2-of-6 shooting and six total points.
l Thomas Gardner reached double figures in points for the eighth consecutive game following his 11-point performance at Arkansas ... Gardner has led the Tigers in scoring three times this season and 10 times over his career.
l Gardner connected on two more three-pointers vs. the Hawgs and has now made at least one three-pointer in 12 consecutive games, the longest three-point streak of his career.
l Gardner's 12 rebounds vs. the Kangaroos tied a career high ... His 17-point, 12-rebound double-double was also the second of his career ... His first was a 19-point, 12-board effort against Brown in the 2004-05 season-opener.
l Gardner's second half tomahawk dunk against UMKC was selected No. 2 on ESPN Sport Center's Top 10 Play's of the Day for Nov. 29 ... Gardner now lead the team with six dunks on the season, followed by Marshall Brown's four.
l Freshman Matt Lawrence has yet to miss a three-pointer as a collegian ... Lawrence made his first career trey on Nov. 29 vs. UMKC and nailed two more triples in front of 17,427 screaming fans at Arkansas en route of a career high six points ... Lawrence played a career high 11 minutes in the game and added an assist, steal and offensive rebound without committing a turnover ... Lawrence also went 3-of-3 from bonus distance in the preseason.
l Senior Jimmy McKinney will be playing his 100th consecutive game this evening ... McKinney missed his first game as a Tiger because of a fractured frontal sinus, but has been a "Rock" for Mizzou since, failing to miss a game.
l McKinney's next three-pointer will also mark the 100th of his career ... Only 14 Tigers have more than 100 career triples.
Getting To Know Today's Foe
Davidson, who will look to extend a 10 game homecourt winning streak, enters tonight's contest 3-2 overall following a 102-69 road win at Appalachian State on Dec. 3 ... Belk Arena has been a difficult place for opposing teams, as the Wildcats have gone 47-7 at home over the past four-plus campaigns ... The Wildcats are led by Preseason Southern Conference Player of the Year, Brendan Winters, who paces the club with 18.2 points per game ... Winters is one of the nation's better three-point shooters and is hitting 40.7 percent of his treys on the year ... Ian Johnson is just behind Winters with a 17.4 ppg. scoring average and is second on the club with 7.2 rebounds ... Jason Morton is the third Wildcat in double figures with 10.4 points per game ... Thomas Sander leads Davidson in rebounding with 7.4 boards ... After opening the year with an 84-55 loss at No. 1 Duke, the Wildcats have won three of their last four, including two consecutive vs. Atlantic-10 competitors, Massachusetts (66-63) and Saint Joseph's (100-94 in overtime), before falling on the road at Charlotte 85-81 in double overtime ... The Wildcats are 2-0 at home this season and own a near 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio as a team ... Davidson is also an excellent free throw shooting club at 86.0 percent (86-of-100).
A Glance At The Mizzou - Davidson Series
Tonight's game marks the second meeting between the Tigers and Wildcats ... Davidson won the only previous meeting between the two clubs, an 84-81 decision on Nov. 19, 2004, in Columbia ... Matt McKillop led a hot-shooting Davidson club with 28 points on 8-of-12 shooting ... For the game, the Wildcats shot 60.0 percent (27-of-45) and hit an incredible 14-of-20 field goals (70.0 percent) in the second half ... Linas Kleiza's 25 points paced the Tigers.
Sometimes The Numbers Do Lie
Mizzou's improving defensive play may be even better than the numbers indicate ... So far this season the Tigers are holding foes to 41.2 percent shooting from the floor and just 31.3 percent from three-point range, but when the Tigers get into their half-court defense (taking out all fast-break opportunities and points), those numbers improve drastically, with opponents shooting just 38.4 percent on the year ... Over the last two and a half games, Mizzou's half-court defense has held Northwestern State, Arkansas and UMKC to just 36.8 percent shooting from the floor.
Tigers Enjoying Second-Half Surge
The Mizzou offense has excelled throughout the second half of its four games this season as the Tigers are averaging 44.3 points on 47.2 percent (57-of-121) shooting ... Missouri has topped the 50-point plateau in the second half twice already and has outscored each of its four opponents by combined 33 points (8.3 average) over the final 20 minutes ... Mizzou scored a season high 54 points in the second half of its win over Northwestern State ... The 54 tallies were the most scored by the Tigers in a half since a Nov. 19, 2004, game vs. Davidson ... Mizzou also scored 54 second-half points in that game as well.
Young & The Relentless (On the Glass)
Kevin Young continues to be the Big 12's top offensive rebounder ... The 6-foot-9, 270-pounder is averaging 6.3 offensive caroms per game, including a career high nine offensive boards in the win over Northwestern State ... Young added seven offensive boards vs. UMKC, six of which came in the second half ... Of his 15 field goals this season, 10 have come following offensive rebounds and nine of his 14 free throw attempts have come after fouls on offensive-putback attempts.
Old Tiger Plays Young Again, Has Career Game, Double-Double Vs. NW State
Senior center Kevin Young had the best game of his Mizzou career in the win over Northwestern State, as the 6-9, 270-pounder poured in career highs of 17 points and 13 rebounds in the nine-point (81-72) victory ... Young led all players with the 13 caroms and his nine offensive boards were the most of his career ... After opening the game as a reserve, Young responded valiantly, scoring 12 points in the second half on 4-of-8 shooting ... He also hit 5-of-6 free throws, which was his most efficient outing at the charity stripe during his collegiate tenure.
T-For-3
Thomas Gardner is off to a hot start from three-point range this season as the junior leads the club with 11-of-26 shooting (42.3 percent) from bonus distance.
l Gardner ranks fifth in the Big 12 with that 42.3 percent shooting accuracy from three and is second with his average of 2.75 treys per game.
l The Portland, Ore., native has made multiple triples in all four contests, including a career-high tying four against Northwestern State ... Gardner made treys in the first minute of each half vs. the Demons to get the Tigers off to quick starts, while his two remaining triples immediately answered NSU three-pointers to keep Mizzou within striking distance in the come-from-behind win.
l Against Sam Houston State, Gardner rebounded nicely from an 0-of-3 start to hit back-to-back treys in the final 0:56 seconds to give Mizzou a last-second shot at forcing overtime.
Mizzou Vs. The Southern Conference
Tonight's game is Missouri's eighth meeting with an active member of the Southern Conference ... The Tigers are 6-1 all-time vs. the League, with the lone setback coming to Davidson (84-81) last season ... Mizzou is 2-0 all-time vs. Western Carolina and UT-Chattanooga, 1-0 vs. UNC Greensboro and 1-0 vs. Wofford ... The Tigers will also face Southern Conference representative Furman on Dec. 18 at Mizzou Arena.