The Missouri Tigers started off their 2010 season slowly but edged out the Western Illinois Leathernecks in the second half of their regular season opener on Thursday night, 66-61. The first game of the season is a little rough sometimes and that was the case for Mizzou as they trailed at times in the first half, struggled at the free throw line and seemed unable to consistently get anything going.
They had pretty equal production across the board -- Lawrence Bowers, Phil Pressey, Marcus Denmon and Steve Moore all had nine points, while Bowers added 10 boards. Kim English was 3-of-10 from the field with eight points.
No one on Mizzou stood out in a so-so initial outing. Western Illinois' Matt Lander led all scorers with 24 points while Kaimirr Price added 15 points and 12 rebounds.
The Tigers free throws were really a problem late in the game. Pressey missed three free throws down the stretch that could have nearly sealed it for Mizzou. Instead they put Western Illinois within one shot with 17 seconds to play. They were 14-of-27 total at the line.
Check out Rock M Nation to see what Mizzou fans are saying about the game.