Nov. 2, 2005

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Missouri vs. Bemidji State (Exhibition)

Norm Stewart Court at Mizzou Arena - Columbia, Mo.

November 2, 2005

Game Notes

This game marked the first-ever meeting between Missouri and Bemidji State on the hardwood.

Tonight's game was played using three NCAA experimental rules. One of those rules featured a three-point line that was moved back to 20 feet, nine inches. The other two rules mandated a restricted arc area (similar to the NBA) and extended the lane by one foot on each side.

Missouri Team Notes

The Tigers improved their record to 13-0 in exhibition games under head coach Quin Snyder, and their 49-point margin of victory more than doubled their 21.4 average margin per win in those games.

With junior guard Marcus Watkins' free throw at the 3:35 mark of the second half, the Tigers hit the century mark for the fifth time in exhibition play, and second in as many years, under head coach Quin Snyder.

Throughout the game, Mizzou went on three separate runs of 15 points or more. From 7:53 to 0:21 of the first half they went on a 27-9 run to open a 57-31 lead, from 0:12 of the first half to 11:36 of the second half they went on a 20-6 run to open a 77-39 lead and they finished the final nine minutes of the game on a 24-10 run to win 105-56.

Mizzou's 63.6 percent effort from the field was their highest in a game since shooting 51.2 percent against Iowa State in January of 2005, and their 58.3 percent performance from beyond the arc was their best since shooting 44.4 percent from distance in last season's home victory over No. 7 Kansas.

The Tigers had five players (Jimmy McKinney, Thomas Gardner, Leo Lyons, Jason Horton and Kalen Grimes) score in double figures, the most since four Mizzou players accomplished the feat last January against Colorado.

Mizzou finished the first half shooting 62.1 percent (18-of-29) from the field and 57.1 percent (4-of-7) from 3-point distance, marking the first time they finished a first half shooting better than 50 percent in both of those categories since they faced Texas A&M on Feb. 5, 2005.

The Tigers forced Bemidji State to turn the ball over 15 times in the first half and scored 24 of their 57 first-half points off of those miscues. For the game, Mizzou forced 24 turnovers and converted them into 35 points.

Mizzou closed out the final 5:18 of the first half on a 22-8 run, and outscored the Beavers 50-22 after the game's first media timeout.

The Tigers came out of the first media timeout down 11-7, but proceeded to go on an 11-0 run over 2:15 to take a 16-11 lead at the 14:10 mark of the opening half.

Nine Tigers got into the scoring column in the first half against Bemidji State - every Mizzou player but junior guard James Douglas, who happened to be one of seven Tigers to register a rebound in the opening frame.

Missouri Player Notes

Junior guard Thomas Gardner scored 22 points to lead the Tigers. Gardner led Mizzou in scoring five times last season, and the Tigers were 5-0 in those contests.

Had this been a regular season game, junior guard Thomas Gardner would have tied his career high in field goals made with eight against the Beavers.

Had this been a regular season game, sophomore forward Marshall Brown's 14 points would have constituted a new career high, besting his old mark of 12. His eight rebounds also would have tied his career best.

Had this been a regular season game, sophomore guard Jason Horton's six free throws made would have been a new career high.

Freshman forward Leo Lyons scored his first career point before he played his first career second, as he stepped in to complete a 3-point play for the injured Kevin Young.

Bemidji State Team Notes

Bemidji State shot just 21.1 percent (4-of-19) from 3-point range for the game, falling well short of their 2004-05 season average of 40.3 percent per outing.

The Beavers shot just 50 percent (14-of-28) from the charity stripe, despite converting at a 72.1 percent clip last season.

The Beavers opened the game 3-of-3 from beyond the arc, and didn't miss until their fourth attempt the 16:04 mark of the first half.

After going down 5-2 early in the game, Bemidji State went on a 9-2 run over 1:46 to go into the first media timeout leading 11-7.

Bemidji State shot just 36.4 percent (12-of-33) from the field, 33.3 percent (4-of-12) and 38.5 percent (5-of 13) from the free-throw line in the first half.

The Beavers pulled down 22 rebounds in the first half, and nine of those came on the offensive end. They used those offensive boards to outscore the Tigers 9-4 in second-chance points in the opening frame. For the game, 23 of their 38 rebounds came off of the offensive glass.

Bemidji State Player Notes

Senior forward Spencer Carter pulled down nine rebounds to lead all participants, besting his average of 7.5 boards per game from last season.