Tigers pull inside job on Texas Tech

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Victory No. 801 will have to wait for Bob Knight.

Arthur Johnson had 23 points and 13 rebounds as No. 21 Missouri, dominating inside, denied the legendary coach an encore triumph in an 82-73 victory over Texas Tech on Sunday.

"Our objective was to keep the game in a position where we'd have a chance to win it," Knight said. "That seems kind of ridiculous to say. Doesn't everybody do that? But we wanted to."

Matching wits with Knight wasn't first and foremost on Missouri coach Quin Snyder's mind.

"You're aware because he's Coach Knight, he's one of the greatest coaches to ever be on the sideline," Snyder said. "But for me to think about that more than just that passing awareness, I think, is not good for our team."

Missouri players weren't distracted by the presence of Knight, either.

"I know the fans were eager to see him," guard Rickey Paulding said. "But I think as the game went on, you kind of forgot about him being there."

Missouri outrebounded the Red Raiders 38-21, getting 13 on the offensive end. The Tigers (14-5, 5-3 Big 12) remained unbeaten in 11 home games and rebounded from a six-point loss at Kansas on Monday.

Andre Emmett had a career-high 34 points for Texas Tech (13-6, 3-5) on 14-for-20 shooting. But he was the Red Raiders' only offensive weapon, with Will Chavis (12 points) the only other player in double figures.

"I was really, really pleased with Andre, because we've been trying to get Andre to play with patience and to have more movement without the ball," Knight said. "I thought he did both things today."

Knight won his 800th game on Wednesday with a 75-49 victory over Nebraska, joining Dean Smith (879), Adolph Rupp (876) and Jim Phelan (824) as the only Division I coaches to reach that milestone. His next chance to gain on Phelan comes Wednesday at Iowa State.

Missouri exploited Texas Tech's weakness inside by pounding the ball to the 6-foot-9, 260-pound Johnson whenever it needed a basket. Johnson didn't score for the first 7 1/2 minutes of the second half, then scored six straight points in a two-minute span to give the Tigers a 59-50 lead with 10:25 remaining.

It was the 13th double-double for Johnson and his third in four games. He's disappointed when he doesn't get one.

"I feel like every day could be a big day for me," Johnson said. "All the hard work you put in, then you get results, that makes you feel good about yourself."

Paulding added 20 points, including three 3-pointers, for the Tigers, while Ricky Clemons had 14 points and five assists and Travon Bryant had 13 points.

Emmett scored 16 of Texas Tech's first 21 points, and the Red Raiders led by as many as seven points early. He made six of his first eight shots, but didn't score over the last 10:42 partly due to two fouls that landed him on the bench.

Missouri took control with a 13-2 run, including 3-pointers by three players, that made it 29-23 with 6:14 remaining. The gap dwindled to two points before Missouri went ahead 38-32 at halftime.

Two straight baskets by Emmett cut the gap to 42-40 with 16:54 remaining. The last time Texas Tech was in striking distance came when Emmett drove the baseline to make it 53-50 with 12:36 remaining.

Emmett's previous career best was 33 points against Colorado Feb. 16, 2002. He scored 31 points in consecutive games earlier this season against New Mexico and New Mexico State.

Missouri won with a short bench, using only seven players, after adding a third game to the disciplinary suspension of 6-10 reserve Jeffrey Ferguson. Ferguson is due to return Wednesday at Texas A&M.