Nov. 8, 2007
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Columbia, Mo. -
Keon Lawrence scored 15 points, dished nine assists and ripped down nine rebounds to lead the University of Missouri Tigers to a dominating 113-55 win over Division II Missouri Western Thursday evening in the team's exhibition finale.
The sophomore from Newark, N.J., hit 4-of-9 field goals and tied a career high with the nine boards, while dishing out a career-best nine assists in just 25 minutes. DeMarre Carroll, the Big 12 Conference's Preseason Newcomer of the Year, tied Lawrence with 15 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting from the floor, while tallying five boards and a steal.
For the two-game exhibition slate, Carroll finished with a team-leading 15.5 points per game, while shooting an amazing 92.3 percent (12-of-13) from the floor. The Vanderbilt transfer also averaged 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals in just 20.5 minutes of action. The 6-foot-8, 225-pounder needed just 18 minutes to record his 15-point night vs. Missouri Western, playing just four minutes in the second half.
Although the Tigers finished the evening with 113 points, it actually took the team three full minutes to get on the board. Missouri missed its first-four shots of the game and four of its first five field goal attempts before erupting for a 64-point first half. The Tigers outscored the Griffons 64-19 through the opening 20 minutes, thanks to 11 points apiece from Carroll and Lawrence. The Tiger defense was also stifling, holding the Griffons scoreless over the final 5:41, sparking a half-ending 18-0 run.
Missouri continued its onslaught in the second period, outscoring MWSU 49-36. All-13 Tigers scored at least three points and five total players reached double-figures, including freshman forward Justin Safford. The Bloomington, Ill., native brought the crowd of 5,903 to its feet with a thunderous alley-oop slam. Safford dropped in 10 total tallies on 5-of-7 shooting from the field.
Mizzou opens regular-season action on Nov. 12 vs. Central Michigan in the opening round of the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic at Mizzou Arena. The four-team regional includes the Tigers, Chippewas, Fordham University Rams and Central Missouri Mules. Game time for the Tigers and Chippewas is slated for 7 p.m. Fordham and Central Missouri tip-off at 4:30 p.m. CT.
The winner of the Missouri regional advances to the finals of the CBE Classic at the new Sprint Center in Kansas City, Nov. 19-20. The winner of the Missouri Regional faces winners of the UCLA, Michigan State and Maryland Regionals on ESPN2.
