1/25/03
No. 4 Texas 76, No. 21 Missouri 55
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| T.J. Ford |
AUSTIN, Texas -- Brandon Mouton scored 20 points and T.J. Ford sparked Texas' key second-half run as the No. 4 Longhorns pulled away for a 76-55 victory over (No. 20 ESPN/USA Today, No. 21 AP) Missouri on Saturday.
Ford scored six straight points in a burst that broke open a tight game, and he finished with 15 points, six rebounds and four assists. Texas (13-2, 4-0 Big 12) recorded its eighth straight win to remain unbeaten at home this season.
Ricky Clemons scored 16 points to lead Missouri (11-4, 2-2), which has lost three of its last four.
Missouri had rallied from a 14-point halftime deficit to pull within 52-46 on Travon Bryant's 3-pointer with 9:44 to play. That's when Ford took over.
The 5-foot-10 point guard hit two free throws and converted a quick layup by slashing around three defenders in the lane. He then grabbed a long rebound off a Missouri miss and finished a perfect give-and-go with Mouton for another layup to push the Texas lead back up to 58-46 as the Longhorns pulled away.
Brian Boddicker added 11 points and James Thomas, the Big 12's leading rebounder, had a game-high eight rebounds for Texas.
Clemons hit 4-of-9 3-pointers for Missouri, which got 13 points from Jimmy McKinney and 10 from Arthur Johnson.
Texas's defense all but shut down Missouri in the first half, when the Tigers committed 11 turnovers and shot just 9-of-31 from the floor, including just three field goals in the final 10 minutes.
Texas closed the half with an 11-2 run keyed by Mouton's 3-pointer and went into the break leading 36-22. Mouton shot 5-of-6 in the first half.
Missouri opened the second with an 11-3 run that got the Tigers within six and kept it close until Ford sparked the Longhorns' final run.
Postgame Quotes
TEXAS HEAD COACH RICK BARNES
ON TONIGHT’S GAME …
“Missouri is a good basketball team. During halftime, we talked
about coming out and being explosive against them in the second half.
I thought
our perimeter defense was excellent tonight, along with our ball screening.”
ON THE CROWD …
“Our fans were tremendous tonight. I got to the arena
about an hour and a half prior to game time and I could hear the crowd
chanting then.
It’s great to hear that because it is what we wanted to get out
of our fans. They are instrumental in the way our game is played. Our
guys really love to hear the crowd getting into the excitement of the
game.”
ON THE TEAM’S PERFORMANCE …
“I thought Brandon Mouton used the pick and roll effectively,
and T.J. Ford did a great job adjusting to where we needed him to be.
Jason
Klotz and Brian Boddicker helped with solid defense. There is no depth
without chemistry, and our guys have a great chemistry with one another
and it shows on the court.”
TEXAS GUARD T.J. FORD
ON TEAM’S PERFORMANCE
“I think we’ve really been playing well and we are
getting better every game. Each game, someone does something different.
You never
know who it’s going to be, but you know there will be someone
there to step up and get it done.”
ON THE CROWD…
“The crowd has been great. They are helping us and motivating
us to play well every night.”
ON UPCOMING GAME AGAINST KANSAS…
“Our plan is just to go there (Allen Fieldhouse), play
hard and keep the crowd out. That’s the biggest factor, so we
are going to just play hard and try to get the job done.”
TEXAS GUARD BRANDON MOUTON
ON TODAY”S WIN…
“As a team we accepted the challenge. We told each other
to slow it down. We talked to each other and communicated well, and
did a good
job slowing them down.”
ON TEXAS’ DEPTH…
“We think out bench plays a big factor. Ross, Klotz, Syd
and all the other guys do a good job of coming in, executing and playing
with the
flow of the game.”
MISSOURI COACH QUIN SNYDER
ON THE GAME…
“It’s really hard to compete with anyone when you
spot them 20 yards in a 100-yard dash. You fight hard to get back,
but in the end
it’s just too much. We didn’t make the key momentum shots
in the game. We kept banging and banging and eventually wore ourselves
out.”
ON THE PLAY OF TJ FORD…
“In my opinion, I think he is the best player in the country.
He controls the game extremely well. Our team needs to develop that
level of understanding
on the court. Also, he makes you pay for mistakes on the floor.
ON TEXAS’S DEFENSE…
“Texas is one of the best defensive teams. Their defensive pressure
contributed to our team’s fatigue.”
MISSOURI GUARD RICKY CLEMONS
ON THE GAME…
“We took a couple of bad shots that hurt us. They captilized
on our bad shots and turnovers. That’s what good teams do to
you.”
