Post by MizzouTiger on Jan 24, 2008 4:48:15 GMT -5
www.kansascity.com/167/story/458305.html
Texas Tech takes down Missouri
By MIKE DeARMOND
The Kansas City Star
LUBBOCK, Texas | Missouri continued to hack its way through the Big 12 Conference on Wednesday, sending an opponent to the free-throw line a season-high 50 times.
For the third straight Big 12 game the Tigers lost because of it, 92-84, this time to a Texas Tech team that hit 36 of those opportunities from the only spot on the floor where no one guards you.
So yes, as you might expect, the Tigers are in something of a foul mood after falling to 1-3 in the league and 11-8 overall.
“We foul too much for no reason sometimes,” said Keon Lawrence, indifferent to having scored a career-high-equaling 24 points. “The referees are not going to let us get away with that.”
Texas Tech hit only 36 of 50 free throws, a modest 72 percent. But the Red Raiders’ Martin Zeno — 19 of 24 from the free-throw line on the way to 33 points — took and made more than the entire Missouri team (12 of 15).
And no one was pointing to the common complaint that the officials seemed to be calling the game differently against one team over another.
“It’s definitely on us,” said MU’s Matt Lawrence, whose scoring average took another hit as he scored just five points and hit only one of four three-point shots.
“It’s happened so many times that it’s not the referees. It’s what we’re doing.”
Hacking, reaching, grabbing, going up for rebounds and coming down on the backs of opposing players who are only too happy to step to the foul line.
It’s officially a trend now.
In Missouri’s three league losses, the Tigers have sent the opposition to the free-throw line 132 times.
And even though Iowa State, Kansas and Tech have combined to hit only 89, that’s been good enough to hand MU defeats by five, six and now eight points.
Those free throws represent more than 37 percent of the 240 points Missouri has given up to the Cyclones, Jayhawks and Red Raiders combined.
“The free-throw line is a killer,” said Missouri coach Mike Anderson, appearing calmer than he is likely to be today in Missouri’s practice back in Columbia.
Down by as many as 12 points, Missouri used an 11-0 run to fuel a 40-37 edge over Texas Tech at the half.
But the second half was a parade to the foul line for Tech, the Red Raiders hitting 23 of 30 from there.
Missouri profited despite its foul problems in the first half, which ended a stretch of five halves of basketball in which the opposition hit 66 of 102 free throws.
Tech went to the line 20 times and made 13. But the Red Raiders would have been ahead at the break had they not missed seven layups.
What the Raiders missed in the first 20 minutes, they hit in the second, 15 of 22 from the field to boost Tech’s shooting percentage for the game to 56.5 percent.
Only one Tiger, DeMarre Carroll, actually fouled out. That was matched by Tech’s Charlie Burgess fouling out as well.
Carroll, who came into the game having hit only 50 percent of his free throws, went six for six on Wednesday on the way to 14 points with nine rebounds. And MU out-boarded Tech 38-27.
But when you’re hacking shooters almost every time down the floor, there aren’t going to be that many rebounds.
For Missouri, there’s plenty of blame to pass around.
And that is a point Anderson brought up at the end of the foul night.
“We’ve got to start doing a better job of actually defending people,” Anderson said. “I don’t even think the fouls they had were even trying to steal the basketball.”
Texas Tech takes down Missouri
By MIKE DeARMOND
The Kansas City Star
LUBBOCK, Texas | Missouri continued to hack its way through the Big 12 Conference on Wednesday, sending an opponent to the free-throw line a season-high 50 times.
For the third straight Big 12 game the Tigers lost because of it, 92-84, this time to a Texas Tech team that hit 36 of those opportunities from the only spot on the floor where no one guards you.
So yes, as you might expect, the Tigers are in something of a foul mood after falling to 1-3 in the league and 11-8 overall.
“We foul too much for no reason sometimes,” said Keon Lawrence, indifferent to having scored a career-high-equaling 24 points. “The referees are not going to let us get away with that.”
Texas Tech hit only 36 of 50 free throws, a modest 72 percent. But the Red Raiders’ Martin Zeno — 19 of 24 from the free-throw line on the way to 33 points — took and made more than the entire Missouri team (12 of 15).
And no one was pointing to the common complaint that the officials seemed to be calling the game differently against one team over another.
“It’s definitely on us,” said MU’s Matt Lawrence, whose scoring average took another hit as he scored just five points and hit only one of four three-point shots.
“It’s happened so many times that it’s not the referees. It’s what we’re doing.”
Hacking, reaching, grabbing, going up for rebounds and coming down on the backs of opposing players who are only too happy to step to the foul line.
It’s officially a trend now.
In Missouri’s three league losses, the Tigers have sent the opposition to the free-throw line 132 times.
And even though Iowa State, Kansas and Tech have combined to hit only 89, that’s been good enough to hand MU defeats by five, six and now eight points.
Those free throws represent more than 37 percent of the 240 points Missouri has given up to the Cyclones, Jayhawks and Red Raiders combined.
“The free-throw line is a killer,” said Missouri coach Mike Anderson, appearing calmer than he is likely to be today in Missouri’s practice back in Columbia.
Down by as many as 12 points, Missouri used an 11-0 run to fuel a 40-37 edge over Texas Tech at the half.
But the second half was a parade to the foul line for Tech, the Red Raiders hitting 23 of 30 from there.
Missouri profited despite its foul problems in the first half, which ended a stretch of five halves of basketball in which the opposition hit 66 of 102 free throws.
Tech went to the line 20 times and made 13. But the Red Raiders would have been ahead at the break had they not missed seven layups.
What the Raiders missed in the first 20 minutes, they hit in the second, 15 of 22 from the field to boost Tech’s shooting percentage for the game to 56.5 percent.
Only one Tiger, DeMarre Carroll, actually fouled out. That was matched by Tech’s Charlie Burgess fouling out as well.
Carroll, who came into the game having hit only 50 percent of his free throws, went six for six on Wednesday on the way to 14 points with nine rebounds. And MU out-boarded Tech 38-27.
But when you’re hacking shooters almost every time down the floor, there aren’t going to be that many rebounds.
For Missouri, there’s plenty of blame to pass around.
And that is a point Anderson brought up at the end of the foul night.
“We’ve got to start doing a better job of actually defending people,” Anderson said. “I don’t even think the fouls they had were even trying to steal the basketball.”