Feb. 12, 2006
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COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) -- Marshall Brown led a balanced attack with 18 points, helping Missouri win its first game since the resignation of coach Quin Snyder with a 74-71 victory over Kansas State on Sunday.
Jimmy McKinney added 16 points and Kevin Young 14 for the Tigers (11-11, 4-7), who ended a six-game losing streak. All of the losses were by double digits, and the slump began with a 15-point setback at Kansas State on Jan. 21.
Brown and McKinney both made a pair of critical free throws in the final minute. McKinney hit two with 7.7 seconds to go for the final margin, and Kansas State's Cartier Martin missed an open 3-pointer from the top of the key at the buzzer.
Both teams were led by interim coaches. Melvin Watkins will finish the season for Missouri, while Jimmy Elgas filled in for ailing Kansas State coach Jim Wooldridge for the second straight game.
David Hoskins had 20 points, Cartier Martin 19 and Lance Harris 18 for Kansas State (13-8, 4-6), which has lost four of five. The Wildcats won their first game without Wooldridge, who is recuperating from neck surgery and is out indefinitely, over Iowa State at home on Wednesday.
Ball security helped Missouri ended the losses despite an off-game from leading scorer Thomas Gardner. The Tigers committed 11 turnovers after totaling 41 the previous two games in blowout losses to Baylor and Texas Tech.
Gardner, who leads the Big 12 with a 20-point average, was 4-for-12 from the field and had 11 points.
Missouri gave a crowd of 10,682 other things to cheer about, just in case the slump continued. Members of the school's all-century team were introduced at halftime and the biggest cheer was reserved for Norm Stewart, whom Snyder replaced in 1999.
The school's football team received its Independence Bowl trophy during a break in the second half, with several members filing onto the floor for a brief ceremony.
McKinney's 3-pointer with 24 seconds left in the half gave Missouri a 31-29 lead. Kansas State had an 11-point lead at halftime in the first meeting.
The Tigers overcame a poor half by Gardner, who had four points, three fouls and five turnovers in 12 minutes.
