Nov. 11, 2008

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Columbia, MO - Preseason All-Big 12 forwards DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons combined for 35 points on 11-of-18 shooting and 12 rebounds to lift Missouri Basketball to an 87-59 victory over Missouri Southern State University Tuesday night at Mizzou Arena.

The Tigers built a 48-33 advantage at the half and extended their least past 30 on multiple occasions before earning the 29-point victory over a hard-charging Missouri Southern club. The Tigers used a 12-0 run at the start of the second period to erase any Missouri Southern hopes at tightening the contest.

"I thought our defense did some good things tonight and I liked the way we finished after forcing some turnovers, but the turnovers on our end are a concern," Head Coach Mike Anderson said. "I give credit to Missouri Southern. They play hard and they had a plan, but there were some unforced things on our end that we need to correct."

The Tiger defense was in full effect as it forced 31 MSSU turnovers and parlayed those miscues into 19 steals, led by four from Carroll and four more from freshman guard Kim English. In addition to his four thefts, English scored 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the floor. English was joined in double figures by fellow rookie Marcus Denmon. The Kansas City native chipped in 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting from three-point range. The former Hogan Prep High School standout finished the Missouri exhibition slate an outstanding 4-of-6 from the three-point stripe.

Missouri also showed improved play at the free throw line, hitting 21-of-30 attempts, led by Lyons, who finished 7-of-8 and Carroll, who went 5-of-6.

Missouri opens regular-season action this weekend against Prairie View A&M. Game time from Mizzou Arena is slated for 3:30 p.m. Fans are invited to watch the Tiger Football game following the contest.