Dec. 19, 2004
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By R.B. FALLSTROM
AP Sports Writer
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) - Linas Kleiza scored 15 of his 18 points in the second
half and made four free throws in the final 55 seconds, helping Missouri
overcome a 17-point deficit in a 56-53 victory over Indiana on Sunday.
Marshall Brown added 11 points off the bench, including a spinning dunk off
a turnover with 1 second left, as Missouri beat Indiana with a big comeback for
the second straight season. Last season, the Tigers (6-4) finished with a 21-2
run and won by five on the road.
Bracey Wright had 12 points and three assists for Indiana despite breaking
his nose in two places late in the first half on an intentional offensive foul
by Spencer Laurie. Wearing a bandage over his nose, Wright hit two free throws
with 1:12 to go for a 51-50 lead, but he lost control of the ball driving in
the lane on Indiana's final possession with about four seconds left.
D.J. White had 13 points for Indiana (2-5), which has lost five in a row.
Missouri shot only 23 percent in the first half, but was 10-for-12 in the
second half. The Tigers also made a concentrated effort to get to the line,
Kleiza in particular, going 18-for-26 overall after attempting just three in
the first half.
Both teams endured cold spells, Missouri going more than 11 minutes between
baskets in a drought spanning both halves and Indiana going 7:38 between points
in the second half.
Indiana finished the first half on a 14-1 run, getting five points from
Ratliff capped by a baseline shot at the buzzer for a 31-16 lead. Missouri shot
23 percent while scoring a season-low for points in the half, and didn't score
a basket in the final 5:50 of the half after Glen Dandridge's 3-pointer.
After the Hoosiers extended it to 16-1 early in the second half, Missouri
answered with a 16-2 run that cut the deficit to three at 35-32 with 10:44
left. Indiana held off Missouri until Brown's 3-pointer tied it at 49 with 1:56
left, and there were five lead changes the rest of the way.
