University of Missouri
Colorado
Missouri Tops Colorado, 63-54
2/22/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 22, 2005
By JIM SALTER
Associated Press Writer
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) - Jason Horton made three straight 3-pointers midway through the second half, helping Missouri blow open a close game and beat Colorado 63-54 on Tuesday night.
Horton scored 14 points - all in the second half. Jason Conley had 13 for the Tigers, while Linus Kleiza added 10 points and 10 rebounds, his seventh double-double of the season.
Jayson Obazuaye had 16 points and Glean Eddy added 13 points and 10 rebounds for Colorado. Richard Roby, Colorado's leading scorer with a 16-point average, scored nine points. He fouled out with 4:12 to play.
Missouri (14-13, 6-7 Big 12) has followed a five-game losing streak with a four-game winning streak. If the Tigers can win their final three regular-season games - at Texas on Saturday, at Iowa State on March 2 and against No. 8 Kansas on March 6 - they could be back in contention for an NCAA bid.
The Buffaloes (13-12, 4-9) beat Missouri 64-62 on Jan. 26, but came into this game short-handed. Coach Ricardo Patton announced Monday that four players - Julius Ashby, Marcus Hall, Chris Copeland and Martane Freeman - were suspended for the Missouri game for violating team rules. Patton did not specify the violation.
Copeland is second on the team in scoring at 12.6 points per game, Hall leads the Buffaloes in assists at 4.4 per game, and Ashby is the leading rebounder at 6.1 per game.
The short bench appeared to catch up with Colorado in the second half.
The Buffaloes built a 24-18 lead during a sloppy first half, when Missouri committed 10 turnovers and shot 27 percent (6-of-22). The Tigers were 3-for-14 from 3-point range in the first half against Colorado's matchup zone.
Missouri tied it 26-26 4 minutes into the second half on Horton's short jumper. The Tigers went ahead for good at 33-31 with 12:25 to play on Marshall Brown's jumper. Brown's putback 30 seconds later gave Missouri a four-point lead, then Horton scored the Tigers' next nine points during a 15-3 run that made it 46-34 with 7:57 to play.
