Sports
(2009-03-28)
COLUMBIA, MO
(KBIA) -
The most successful season in Missouri Tiger men's basketball history came to an end Saturday afternoon in the West regional final of the NCAA Tournament as Mizzou lost to the Huskies of University of Connecticut 82-75 in Glendale, Arizona. Leo Lyons and Matt Lawrence led the Tigers with 13 points each, while DeMarre Carroll added 12. Kemba Walker had 23 for the Huskies; but perhaps the most telling statistic was rebounds, where UConn dominated, out-rebounding M.U. 47-32, including 13 from All-American Center Hasheem Thabeet. Thabeet averaged 10.7 rebounds a game through the regular season, ranking 12th nationally (Oklahoma's Blake Griffin led the nation with 14.4 rebounds per game)
UConn took control of the game early, running out to a 13-2 advantage, but the Tigers showed the toughness and resiliency they've had all season to tighten the game late, and were down by just 3 points with 2:47 to go. But the Huskies pulled away in the closing moments, shooting 10 for 10 from the free throw line in the last 1:02 to ice the win before 18,886 fans at University of Phoenix Stadium. Free throws were another key statistic in the game...the Huskies shot over 80%, 26 of 32, while the Tigers attempted only 12, and made just half of them.
Connecticut, 31-4, moves onto the Final Four where they will be going for their third national title. They'll play the winner of tomorrow's Midwest regional final between Louisville and Michigan State. The other regional finals include Pitt and Villanova in the East, and North Carolina and Mizzou's Big 12 foe Oklahoma in the South. The men's Final Four will be played next weekend in Detroit; the women's Final Four will be in St. Louis. Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Iowa State of the Big 12 are all still alive in the women's tournament.
The Tigers season ends at 31-7, a record for most victories in a season in 103 years of varsity basketball at Mizzou. M.U. has never made a Final Four, this was the fourth time they've reached a regional semifinal, or "Elite Eight" round of the tourney, the previous most recent was 02-03.
The loss also ends the career of four Tiger seniors: DeMarre Carroll, Matt Lawrence, Michael Anderson, Jr. and Leo Lyons.
In other Tiger sports news, today's baseball game at Oklahoma State was postponed by bad weather in Stillwater; they will try to play a doubleheader at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium tomorrow, but a freak spring snowstorm has hit much of the Sooner State and the game is questionable. Bad weather also forced the cancellation of the second day of the Missouri Relays in Columbia, the opening of the outdoor track and field season. And the Tiger softball team came from behind to beat Baylor 2-1 in Waco. The Tigers are 29-4 on the season, and ranked #13 in the nation.
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