Missouri takes care of ball in end to beat Oakland

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- When Missouri needed to take care of the basketball, it did.

The Tigers overcame early turnover problems, didn't commit a turnover the final 11minutes, 30 seconds of the game and finished the final 6 minutes on a 16-4 run Friday to beat Oakland 74-58.

"That's some of the maturity you want to see your team developing," Missouri coach Quin Snyder said. "Down the stretch, we executed better."

Thomas Gardner had 19 points and a career-high seven assists for the Tigers (6-4), who won their sixth consecutive game at home.

Marshall Brown and Jimmy McKinney each had 14 points for the Tigers, and Kevin Young added 12 points and 14 rebounds, his second career double-double.

But Snyder was most impressed with the play of Gardner, the Big 12's leading scorer.

"We've talked about the importance of your leading scorer, and possibly your best player, being your most unselfish player and what an impact that can have on a team," Snyder said. "I think when look and see seven assists and five boards, if he can do that, it can help us."

Missouri's game-clinching run started with 6:42 left and the Tigers leading 58-54.

Glen Dandridge and Jason Horton sparked the spurt with 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions, and the Tigers closed the stretch by making 7-of-8 free throws.

"They got into a comfort [zone]," Oakland coach Greg Kampe said. "I don't think if the game had stayed at two or three, they would have made their free throws and they may have given us the ball a few more times."

Missouri also crashed the boards, totaling 23 second-chance points to Oakland's 10.

"They just killed us on the boards the last 10 minutes of the game. I mean everything went to them, and that was the difference," Kampe said.

The closest Oakland (5-6) got to Missouri was 47-46 with 11:50 left in the game.

The Grizzlies had a chance to take the lead after Missouri committed its 16th and final turnover, but Rick Billings turned it over on the next possession.

"That was a huge turnover," Kampe said. "We had them right where we needed. They were reeling, and if we could have scored and gotten the lead, I'm not saying we would have won, but the game would have had a little different ending to it."

Oakland, which has overhauled its lineup since losing to the Tigers in December 2004, entered the game with five new starters.

Vova Severovas led the Grizzlies with 15 points and six rebounds. Calvin Wooten, a transfer from Rutgers who entered the game averaging 22.8 points, finished with nine points. Kampe said Wooten is battling a right-knee injury, which caused him to sit out a game earlier in the season and has limited his play the past two games.

"Give Missouri credit. They were all over him and they guarded him, but Cal got hurt a couple of games ago," Kampe said. "He's either got to have knee surgery or we've got to let him play through it."

Missouri tried to pull away early in the first half, jumping out to an 11-point lead, but Oakland battled back.

The Grizzlies took advantage of 10 Missouri turnovers and went on a pair of 8-0 runs and an 8-2 run to trim the Tigers' lead to 36-32 at halftime.

Missouri hosts Louisiana-Monroe on Monday.

Missouri summary

MISSOURI 74, OAKLAND, MICH. 58

OAKLAND, MICH. (5-7)

Severovas 6-14 3-4 15, Hopes 2-3 0-0 4, Wooten 3-14 2-4 9, MacKenzie 1-4 2-2 4, Billings 4-8 0-1 8, Nelson 1-6 0-0 2, Cassise 1-3 1-2 4, Lawal 0-0 0-0 0, Carson 2-4 0-0 6, Kangas 0-0 0-0 0, McCloskey 3-4 0-0 6. Totals 23-60 8-13 58.

MISSOURI (6-4)

Brown 5-7 4-5 14, Watkins 1-1 0-0 2, Young 5-9 2-3 12, McKinney 5-12 3-4 14, Gardner 7-16 3-4 19, Douglas 0-0 0-0 0, Lyons 1-1 0-0 2, Horton 1-1 0-2 3, Dandridge 2-3 0-0 6, Lawrence 0-0 0-0 0, Grimes 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 28-51 12-18 74.

Halftime--Missouri 36-32. 3-Point Goals--Oakland, Mich. 4-16 (Carson 2-3, Cassise 1-3, Wooten 1-7, MacKenzie 0-3), Missouri 6-14 (Dandridge 2-2, Gardner 2-7, Horton 1-1, McKinney 1-3, Brown 0-1). Fouled Out--None. Rebounds--Oakland, Mich. 29 (Severovas 6), Missouri 39 (Young 14). Assists--Oakland, Mich. 9 (Cassise, Nelson, Severovas 2), Missouri 17 (Gardner 7). Total Fouls--Oakland, Mich. 17, Missouri 13. A--6,501.