Tigers beat Southern in Missouri battle

Associated Press

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Thomas Gardner had 19 points and 10 rebounds and Marshall Brown added 19 points and nine rebounds Tuesday as Missouri beat Division II Missouri Southern 87-61.

The Tigers finished exhibition play 2-0 and will begin the regular season Monday against Sam Houston State in the Preseason NIT.

The Lions play their final exhibition game Thursday against Missouri State.

Missouri got off to a fast start, building a 12-0 lead before Missouri Southern scored. That lead ballooned to 46-19 at halftime.

Brown scored 10 of Missouri's first 16 points on 4-for-4 shooting, and with four minutes left in the first half, he had outscored the Lions 15-14.

Missouri also outrebounded the Lions 37-7 in the first half.

''Marshall was a warrior today,'' coach Quin Snyder said.

But it wasn't all pretty for the Tigers, who had 18 turnovers in the game.

Missouri's commanding first half was followed by a sloppy second half in which the Tigers were outscored 42-41. At one point, Missouri went 6 minutes without a field goal.

''We showed our youth in the second half,'' Snyder said. ''We didn't have the same intensity.''

Missouri center Kevin Young did not start and only played nine minutes because of an injured left ankle he sustained in Missouri's first exhibition game against Bemidji State. He had two points and five rebounds.

Jimmy McKinney had 15 points and Leo Lyons had 11 for the Tigers.

Ed Miles led Missouri Southern with 11 points.