Dec. 30, 2006
Final Stats
COLUMBIA,
Mo. (AP) - Matt Lawrence scored 24 points and Missouri's defense earned
a season-high 20 steals in an 87-58 victory over Southern on Saturday night.
Lawrence was 6-for-8
from 3-point range, helping the Tigers (10-2) recover from a sloppy first half
after a layoff of nearly two weeks.
Keon Lawrence tied
a career high with 17 points and Stefhon Hannah added 13 for Missouri.
Deforrest Riley-Smith
led Southern (1-11) with 17 points and was the only player in double figures
for the Jaguars.
Both teams struggled
early, with Missouri playing its first game since a Dec. 19 loss to Illinois
in St. Louis.
The first half featured
a combined 29 turnovers - 19 by Southern - including numerous ill-timed lob
passes, blown dunks and passes thrown to unsuspecting teammates. Missouri led
by as many as 12 points before taking a 33-25 halftime lead.
The Tigers led by
as many as 34 points in the second half.
Southern, which advanced
to the NCAA Tournament last year as the Southwestern Athletic Conference's regular
season and tournament champion, had previously lost this season by 60 points
to Georgia, 53 points to No. 4 Wisconsin and 56 points against defending national
champion and No. 3 Florida.
