DePaul 75, Missouri 70 -- NIT First Round
3/15/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 15, 2005
DePaul at
March 15, 2005
National Invitation Tournament, Round One
Game Notes
The Blue Demons hold a 3-2 lead in the all-time series with this victory.
These two teams hadn't met on the hardwood since December 29, 2001, when DePaul handed the Tigers a 63-62 loss in
Mizzou is 1-2 versus DePaul in the Quin Snyder era. The Tigers earned a home win, 99-84, in 2000 and suffering a 63-62 loss on the road in 2001.
Mizzou dropped its record to 1-7 all-time in NIT games. The Tigers' victory came at the hands of Murray State, 89-85, on March 13, 1996 in
This season's NIT selection is the sixth all-time for the Mizzou program, with the first coming after the 1971-72 season. The Tigers also earned berths in 1972-73, '84-85, '95-96, '97-98 and '03-04.
This season marks the second in a row that Mizzou has earned an NIT berth. The Tigers faced
This season is the eighth consecutive campaign, and sixth straight under head coach Quin Snyder, that the Tigers have qualified for post-season play.
Mizzou finished the season with a 15-4 mark at home this year, the inaugural season of Mizzou Arena.
After falling down 35-25 midway through the first half, Mizzou went on a 9-0 run from the 4:25 mark to the 3:03 mark of the first half to claw their way within one.
Mizzou is now 4-11 on the season when they head into the locker room trailing at the half.
This season is the first losing campaign for the Tigers since their 16-17 finish in 1996-97.
Junior guard Jimmy McKinney has now started four postseason games for Mizzou, more than any other player on this year's roster.
Sophomore guard Thomas Gardner has hit at least one three-point field goal in each of his last eight games. He finished with three on the evening.
Freshman guard Jason Horton's layup at the 4:04 mark of the first half were his first points in his last four outings. Horton hadn't found the scoring column since Mizzou faced
Senior guard Jason Conley has pulled down at least four rebounds in each of the Tigers' last 10 games. Mizzou is 7-3 over that span, which included a career high-tying 13 boards against
Freshmen Jason Horton, Marshall Brown, Glen Dandridge and Kalen Grimes all saw their first postseason action in Mizzou uniforms against DePaul.
Sophomore forward Linas Kleiza's 23 points marked the ninth time this season and third game in a row he's scored 20 or more points.
DePaul Team Notes
This season marks the 15th campaign in DePaul history that the Blue Demons have earned an NIT bid.
DePaul evened its all-time mark in NIT games at 15-15 with their victory over Mizzou.
The Blue Demons took home the 1944-45 NIT championship, beating Bowling Green 71-54, on the strength of NBA Hall of Fame member George Mikan's 53 points, in the title game.
This game marked the first time in their last four games that sophomore guard Sammy Mejia hasn't led DePaul in scoring. Senior guard Drake Diener led the Blue Demons against Mizzou with a career-high 30 points.
DePaul Player Notes
Senior guard Drake Diener connected on seven three-point field goals against the Tigers, tying the school record previously held individually by former Blue Demon Brad Niemann. Diener also moved into third place on the DePaul career three-point field goals made list with 138.
Senior guard Drake Diener's 30 points equaled a new career high, and eclipsed the previous mark of 28 he set versus
Sophomore guard Sammy Mejia was assessed a technical foul at the 8:41 mark of the first half, only the fifth charged at Mizzou Arena in its history.
Freshman guard Draelon Burns set a new career high in assists with six against the Tigers. His previous mark, of three assists, was set on February 22 against
Senior guard Drake Diener led DePaul in scoring in the first half with 16 points, with his last score coming at the 4:43 mark of the opening frame. He failed to score until the 13:09 mark of the second half, a span of 13:34.
Senior forward Quemont Greer tallied 17 points for the Blue Demons to notch his team-leading 69th career double-figure scoring game.
