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Tigers Beat Pokes, Escape Bubble February 25, 2002
Oklahoma State managed just five points in the first nine and a half minutes of the second half to relinquish a 10-point lead to Missouri in a 72-69 loss in Colombia on Monday Night. The Tigers overcame the 10-point deficit despite Kareem Rush and Clarence Gilbert scoring a combined 14 points to win a game that all but clinches an NCAA Tournament birth for Quin Snyder's crew.
Missouri (20-9, 9-6) was led in scoring by the unheralded duo of Arthur Johnson (18 points, 14 rebounds) and Rickey Paulding (21 points, 10-12 fg) who had two baskets in the final minute of the big win. Kareem Rush managed just 10 points on 3-15 shooting and Clarence Gilbert followed up a 40 point, 12 3-pt performance with just four points on 3-13 shooting, 0-7 from 3-pt range.
The Cowboys (22-7, 9-6) were led by Victor Williams with 19 points and Fredrik Jonzen with 16, but looked out of sync offensively in the second half. The Pokes turned the ball over 20 times and were beaten on the boards 40-27 though they shot 50% to the Tigers 44%.
The win all but wraps up an invitation to the Big Dance for Mizzou and just makes the Cowboys seed a little more interesting. The most interesting situation to arise from the game is the virtual log jam it creates in the 3-6 seeds for the Big 12 Tournament as Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, and Missouri are all with in striking distance of all spots in the final week.
The Cowboys put an end to the regular season at home on Saturday against the Texas A&M Aggies at Gallagher-Iba Arena. The game is a 7 p.m. start and will be televised by Cowboy Sports Properties on KSBI, local channel 52, Cox Channel 9. |
