The Missouri Tigers survived a close game with the Western Illinois Leathernecks on Thursday night. Mizzou's season opening win keeps them perfect on the season -- `1-0. Here's what people are saying about the game:
Moore lifts Missouri men's basketball team vs. Western Illinois - Columbia Missourian
"Steve in my eyes was the player of the game," Anderson said. "He came out and used his big body in there, scored in there. On defense he was rebounding and blocking shots, getting on the floor. He brought that energy you’ve got to have."
Mizzou holds off Western Illinois
"We're a team that's a work in progress," Anderson said. "There were a lot of nerves out there. When guys are leaving free throws short, you know the nerves are going. ... When things were going bad, we didn't panic. We stepped up with our defense. Our defense is what we'll hang our hat on."
seMissourian.com: College Sports: Missouri men's basketball team survives scare (11/19/10)
"They played amazing, but at the end of the day, we won," English said. "And that's all we want to do."
Western Illinois Leathernecks vs. Missouri Tigers - Recap - November 18, 2010 - ESPN
"You just have those nights," Bowers said. "I believe if we would have panicked it would have been a different outcome."
Missouri escapes and wins opener over Western Illinois - KansasCity.com
"It’s better to learn our lesson in a win than a loss," said junior guard Kim English, who hit the only Missouri basket in the final 7 minutes as the Tigers watched an eight-point lead turn into a two-point deficit with 3 minutes to play. "Every time we step on the floor, we’re going to get everyone’s best shot.
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Phil Pressey, Marcus Denmon and Steve Moore also had nine points apiece for Missouri (1-0), which won its 48th consecutive non-conference home game despite going only 14 for 27 from the line. The Tigers shot 72 percent last season while going 23-11 and advancing to the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Cats and Tigers scratch out victories | Upon Further Review
It was not a pretty sight in Manhattan or Columbia last night as both K-State and Missouri struggled to put away inferior opponents. In both cases the culprit was primarily free-throw shooting. For MU, it’s the first game of the year, but for KSU, this is a very troubling issue - three games old and counting.