MU starts slow but remains unbeaten

Tigers use 17-2 run in second half to defeat Wisconsin-Green Bay 88-67.

The Associated Press

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Missouri overcame another rough start.

Rickey Paulding scored a career-high 25 points and all five Missouri starters scored in double figures as the Tigers defeated Wisconsin-Green Bay 88-67 Monday night.

Travon Bryant had 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Ricky Clemons had 16 points for Missouri (5-0).

"They outscrapped us in the first half," Missouri center Arthur Johnson said. "We had to come out and prove that that wasn't us, and I think we did that in the second half."

Missouri used a 17-2 run and made seven 3-pointers in the second half to pull away from Wisconsin-Green Bay, which took a brief three-point lead early in the half on Brandon Hansen's 3-pointer.

"I told our team before the game that this would say a lot about where we are this season," Missouri coach Quin Snyder said. "This was an unbelievably tough game for us."

Clemons, the Tigers' point guard, scored Missouri's first eight points of the second half on a combination of 3-pointers and drives to the basket. The Phoenix kept stride, coming within two points with 15:52 left, but Paulding's 3-pointer four minutes later increased Missouri's lead to 57-49.

Clemons scored five more points in the next two minutes after scoring just three in the first half.

"They were getting a lot of rebounds in the first half and taking it to us," Clemons said. "I just wanted to come out and be precise and knock down shots. I mainly wanted to contain their guard."

Paulding saw the leadership Clemons brought in the second half.

"I think the first half he got a couple fouls and he had to sit out so he couldn't get into his rhythm," Paulding said. "He definitely can give us that spark as a point guard."

Missouri had 10 blocks and shot 54.3 percent in the second half. Matt Rohde scored a career-high 26 points and Mike King added 14 off the bench for Wisconsin-Green Bay (3-4).

Wisconsin-Green Bay took a 6-3 lead on Rohde's basket with 16:31 left in the first half. Missouri then went on a 10-0 run -- the fifth time this season in five games the Tigers have had at least a 10-0 run -- capped by Jimmy McKinney's reverse layup with 8:49 left in the half.

"I think we couldn't score for a while," Wisconsin-Green Bay coach Tod Kowalczyk said. "I think that happened because obviously they did good job of guarding (Rohde). Matt's not nearly as athletic as the Missouri players. We just didn't have anyone else to put in there."

Rohde scored 19 of Wisconsin-Green Bay's 31 first-half points on 7-of-12 shooting. He pulled the Phoenix within 23-22 at 2:55 left in the half with one of his three first-half 3-pointers. Missouri led 32-31 at halftime, largely because of a pair of 3-pointers by Paulding in the last 1:19 of the half.

Play was stopped temporarily midway through in the first half when Wisconsin-Green Bay guard Calix N'diaye dislocated his left elbow in a loose-ball scramble. He returned several minutes later with his arm in a sling.