Short-handed MU tries to regroup after rout

STILLWATER, Okla. -- With just nine able-bodied players, including two former student managers, there's no doubt No. 11 Missouri is short-handed.

"Obviously, we were short on personnel. But we're not using that as any excuse," coach Quin Snyder said after No. 24 Oklahoma State whipped the Tigers 76-56 Saturday. "I thought Oklahoma State played terrific. When they jump on you like that with their shots, and you have some guys in unfamiliar territory to begin with, we were looking uphill the whole game."

Snyder's team has been decimated recently.

Guard and forward Najeeb Echols left the team a week ago to transfer to Illinois State and guard Josh Kroenke missed Saturday's game with tendinitis in his right knee. His availability for Tuesday's game against Iowa State at Columbia is questionable.

Finally, starting point guard Ricky Clemons, the Tigers' second-leading scorer, was suspended indefinitely Friday after being arrested and charged with second-degree domestic assault for allegedly choking a 20-year-old woman at his apartment. His status for Tuesday's game also is up in the air.

"I've got to be able to sit down with Quin and Ricky," athletic director Mike Alden said Saturday night. "We haven't been able to do that yet."

Missouri (10-3, 1-1 Big 12) had nine able-bodied players, including former managers Ryan Kiernan and Jake Jackson, plus Rob Stewart, who, like Jackson, is a walk-on.

Snyder started a new lineup, moving freshman Jimmy McKinney from wing guard to point guard, Rickey Paulding from small forward to wing guard, and Travon Bryant from power forward to small forward. Arthur Johnson remained at center and Jeffrey Ferguson was inserted at power forward.

Oklahoma State (14-1, 3-0) took a quick 14-2 lead, widened it to 40-16 later in the half and led by as many as 35 in the second half.

Victor Williams scored a season-high 24 and Melvin Sanders scored 15 while leading another stifling defensive performance for the Cowboys, who were coming off a 48-46 victory over No. 5 Oklahoma.

"Clemons is a great player, and that definitely hurt them on the offensive and defensive end," Williams said. "But not to take anything away from our defensive effort, I think if he was out there, we would have attacked him the same way."

The Cowboys held Missouri 24 points below its season average. The Tigers only had 36 points before outscoring Oklahoma State 20-5 in the final eight minutes.

Sanders, who shut down Oklahoma's Hollis Price on Monday, held Paulding to 10 points on 3-of-12 shooting. Paulding came in averaging a team-high 17.7 points per game.

Williams scored seven of the Cowboys' first 14 points.