Ice-cold Mizzou bows to Arkansas

The Tigers shot just 30 percent from the floor in a 62-52 loss.

By R.B. Fallstrom ~ The Associated Press

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Arkansas closed the book on its first loss and shut down Missouri on the road.

Ronnie Brewer had 20 points and five assists and the Razorbacks played stingy defense, holding Missouri to 30 percent shooting in a 62-52 victory Tuesday night.

Olu Famutimi added eight points and eight rebounds to help Arkansas (6-1) bounce back from its lone loss of the season to then-No. 5 Illinois three days earlier. The Razorbacks won despite being held to a season-low point total after entering the game with a 77-point average.

"There was great focus out there," coach Stan Heath said. "We put the Illinois game behind us. I didn't see any lingering effects at all."

Arkansas won on the road for only the third time in 19 games in three seasons under Heath. The other two victories came against Vanderbilt and Tulsa.

Linas Kleiza had 14 points and 11 rebounds for Missouri (4-4), but was only 6-for-16 from the field. The Tigers missed their first 10 shots, then began the second half 0-for-7 en route to their worst shooting of the season, including going only 3-for-19 from 3-point range.

"It was one of those nights that the ball just wasn't falling for us," guard Jason Conley said. "You just have to find other ways to score."

Freshman reserve Marshall Brown added a career-best 10 points for Missouri, which also lost for the second time in only six games at the new Mizzou Arena. Thomas Gardner was 2-for-10, Jimmy McKinney 1-for-8, Jason Horton 0-for-7 and Conley 2-for-6.

"We're trying to play together, we're just not having a lot of success right now," coach Quin Snyder said. "That doesn't mean you throw your hands up and change it. You've just got to work to get better."

Brewer said Arkansas' strategy was to keep the pressure on.

"It might have been an ugly game, but our main goal is to go out there and keep on fighting the entire game," Brewer said. "We knew that it was going to be sort of sluggish.

"We just wanted to dig down and see who had the most heart."

Arkansas shot 48 percent overall to beat Missouri for the seventh straight time, although this was the first meeting between the bordering states since 1997.

Arkansas also struggled early, missing eight straight shots after starting the game 3-for-4. The Razorbacks got away with 38 percent shooting in the first half, leading 27-25, and never trailed in the second half.

The key point in the second half came when Gardner got a steal but then lost control of the ball and missed a layup that could have cut the gap to one with just under four minutes to go. Arkansas responded with a 3-pointer by Eric Ferguson for a six-point lead.

That was the Razorbacks' only 3-pointer of the game in eight attempts.

Missouri's previous worst shooting was 32 percent against Houston in the Guardians Classic Nov. 24 in Kansas City.

Missouri was without 6-11 junior Jeffrey Ferguson, who tore cartilage in his right knee on Sunday. An MRI exam on Monday revealed the damage. Ferguson is averaging 2.8 points and 2.5 rebounds after being suspended for the first three games of the season for playing in an unsanctioned summer league.