THE UNIVERSITY DARY KANSAN
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2009
SPORTS
9B
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Missouri snags 45 points off of bench
Missouri's Laurence Bowers dunks over Tennessee-Martin's Zach Jones during the second half of a game Tuesday, in Columbia, Mo. Bowers had a team-high 16 points in Missouri's 83-68 victory.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Frontcourt scoring was supposed to be Missouri's question mark. In the Tigers' regular-season opener on Tuesday night, it was more like an exclamation point.
Forward Laurence Bowers came off the bench to score 16 points and Keith Ramsey added a career-high 15 as Missouri rolled to an 83-68 victory over Tennessee-Martin.
After losing forwards DeMarre Carroll (16.6 points a game in 2008-09) and Le Lyons (14.6) from a squad that finished one game from the Final Four, Missouri (1-0) needed contributions from such players as Bowers and Steve Moore, both sophomores, and Ramsey, a senior. None of them averaged more than 14 minutes last year.
It appeared Tuesday that they were ready to assume the responsibility. Bowers, who last year was known more for his explosive dunking than all-around play, had a career-high eight rebounds and blocked four shots.
"I came into this year trying to be an all-around guy," Bowers said. "I didn't want to base my game on offense or highlight plays."
Missouri coach Mike Anderson said of Bowers, "He's not just a dunker anymore. People are going to have to guard him."
The 6-foot 9 Moore dropped 40 pounds during the off-season to get down to a listed weight of 264. He had a career-high seven points in 18 minutes.
"I can compete (more) this year versus last year," Moore said. "I was a lot heavier. I'm a hundred times more ready."
The Tigers had 45 points off the bench.
"I think it was a team effort," Anderson said. "They all really wear and tear"
UT-Martin (0-2) kept the game somewhat close in the first half, trailing by 12 at halftime thanks in part to 13 points from junior Benzor Simmons, who finished with a game-high 30. But with only eight players dressed, the Skyhawks wore down, committing 23 turnovers.
Junior guard Reuben Clayton, UT-Martin's leading scorer in its opener against Southern Illinois, was not in uniform. Neither was top returning scorer Marquis Weddle, who is ineligible until at least Christmas.
"We just got worn down," first-year Skyhawks coach Jason James said. "We couldn't run guys in like we wanted to, and as they kept pressing, our guys got tired."
Missouri got 10 points from sophomore Marc Demon and demon
The Tigers had a scary moment when senior guard and 2008-09 Big 12 Co-Defensive Player of the Year J.T. Tiller left the game after a hard foul.
seven from highly-touted freshman Michael Dixon.
SUPPORT
Programs that count: Hoops to Heels
BY HALLIE MANN
hmann@kansan.com
For each game, the women's basketball players know what jersey, shoes and warm-ups to wear, but when it comes to a job interview, the answers sometimes aren't as clear. That's where Hoops to Heels, a mentor program for the women's basketball team, comes into play.
WARMING UP
For most student athletes, every minute goes into practicing, competing and school. Senior guard Kelly Kohn said she realized that there was life after basketball, and that she needs to be prepared to go into the real world. Through the Hoops to Heels program, Kohn has developed basic interview skills and learned how to build a résumé. Kohn said it was the small things — such as etiquette and dress code — that
have helped her feel more comfortable as she made the transition as a student going into the job world.
"I don't feel like I'm going to be thrown to the wolves when I get out there," Kohn said.
Kohn also
said the program brings in professional women to speak and practice basic skills of professionalism with the team. Kohn, who said she wanted to work in the sports marketing or broadcast field after she graduates, has been able to sit down with women who work for ESPN to get an inside view to what the field is like.
KEY PLAYERS
"These women we work with want us to be successful. They're committed to helping us with what we want to do"
One of the women who nas worked with the players is Diana
Robertson, director for the department of student housing at the University. Robertson has been a part of the program since its inception in April. Community members, faculty and professionals like Robertson work with the program in hopes of inspiring the players to look beyond their college basketball careers.
Trena Anderson, the director of women's basketball operations, said the program had been in the works for about three years.
KELLY KOHN Senior guard
"These women we work with want us to be successful," Kohn said. "They're committed to helping us with what we want to do."
"It's going to take a lot of hard work and patience to succeed and become like these women," senior guard Sade Morris said.
FUTURE STARDOM
Morris said she wanted to continue with basketball as a coach or maybe go into teaching after she graduates. Morris said she appreciates getting the extra help
for career development. The mentors' guidance in mock interviews and social networking have shown Morris what she'll need for life after college, she said.
Anderson said it was an opportunity for the players to talk about something
other than basketball. She said coach Bonnie Hendrickson wanted players to be well rounded and expected them to represent the team well in their futures.
"The players need to realize they can wear something other than sweats to class everyday and that they should if they want to be recognized as professionals," Anderson said.
Edited by Jacob Muselmann
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Despite turning ball over 14 times,Illini defeat Northern Illinois 80-61
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Brandon Paul scored all 20 of his points in the first half, leading No. 23 Illinois to a 80-61 victory over Northern Illinois on Tuesday night.
Paul, a freshman guard, had 14 of Illinois' first 21 points. He finished 6 of 16 from the field, including 4 of 8 from beyond the arc.
Paul's outside shooting opened the lane for 7-foot-1 center Mike Tisdale and 6-9 forward Mike Davis. The two big men combined to shoot 7 of 15 with Davis and Tisdale scoring 14 and 10 points, respectively. Davis added a career-
high 17 rebounds for his 11th career double-double.
Foul trouble by Demetri McCamey forced Illinois head coach Bruce Weber to give freshmen Paul and D.J. Richardson more minutes, though turnovers were a problem. The Illini gave the ball away 14 times while recording
Richardson and Paul struggled handling the ball at times, but the team made up for it on the defensive end. Illinois had 10 blocks while holding the Huskies to 36.8 percent shooting, including 26.3 percent from behind the 3-point
only 15 assists. The Illini turnovers resulted in 17 Huskie points.
Northern Illinois gave Illinois (2-0) a scare at the end of the half, going on a 14-3 run to close the gap to 49-41 on a half-court buzzer beater by the Huskers' Byran Hall.
Illinois shot 43.5 percent from the field. McCamey had eight assists.
After cutting Illinois' lead to three on a layup by Najul Ervin with 18:30 left in the game, a dunk by McCamey off a steal and an assist from Richardson extended the lead to five. A jumper by forward Dominique Keller and a Davis layup extended the Illinois' lead to nine.
line.