Dec. 10, 1999

PDF Formatted Notes

Missouri (5-2)
vs.
Saint Louis (4-2)

Dec. 12, 1999 ? St. Louis, Mo.

TIPOFF: 3:30 p.m. (central).
ARENA: TWA Dome (40,000).

RADIO: Tiger Network (Mike Kelly, play-by-play/Gary Link, color). Carried on more than 50 stations statewide, and on the Internet at www.gamecruiser.com.

TV: Mizzou Sports Network (Brian Neuner, play-by-play/Norm Stewart & Charlie Spoonhour, color). Please see page seven of this release for a listing of statewide affiliates.

RANKINGS: MU is not ranked (RV in ESPN/USA poll)/Saint Louis is not ranked.

SERIES: MU leads, 19-18, including a record of 10-6 in games played in St. Louis. This is the first meeting in the series since 1980, when MU won 76-58 in Columbia.

COACHES:

Missouri: Quin Snyder (Duke '89), 5-2 at MU (1st season), 5-2 overall (1st season).

Saint Louis: Lorenzo Romar (Washington '80), 4-2 at SLU (1st season), 46-46 overall (4th season).

OFFICIALS: Will be announced prior to tipoff.

TIGERS, BILLIKENS RENEW INTRASTATE RIVALRY AT TWA DOME
College basketball fans who've been dreaming of a Missouri-Saint Louis matchup will get their wish this Sunday, as the Tigers (5-2 overall) and Billikens (4-2) will square off at the TWA Dome in the Bud Light Showdown. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. The Tigers are looking to rebound from a tough 73-68 loss on Tuesday at the hands of #15 Indiana. The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for first-year coach Quin Snyder's crew.

Saint Louis is coming off a 76-52 win over Southwest Texas State on Dec. 4, which broke a two-game skid for first-year coach Lorenzo Romar's team.

MISSOURI TIGERS (5-2)
(Probable Starting Lineup/Just an SID's best guess)

P NO NAME               HT   WT   YR   HOMETOWN               PPG/RPG
F 31 Johnnie Parker**   6-6  221  Jr.  St. Louis, Mo.        8.1 / 6.0
C 33 Tajudeen Soyoye    6-9  236  Jr.  Lagos, Nigeria       10.3 / 7.6
G 5  Keyon Dooling*     6-3  184  So.  Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. 13.9 / 2.1
G 12 Brian Grawer**     6-0  165  Jr.  St. Louis, Mo.        6.7 / 3.3
G 4  Clarence Gilbert*  6-2  197  So.  Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.  9.1 / 3.9

SAINT LOUIS BILLIKENS (4-2)
(Probable Starting Lineup/Just an SID's best guess)

P NO NAME             HT   WT   YR   HOMETOWN                PPG/RPG
F 40 Justin Tatum     6-7  235  Jr.  St. Louis, Mo.        10.8 / 8.7
F 31 Maurice Jeffers  6-4  195  Jr.  Morrilton, Ark.        6.8 / 4.0
C 35 Chris Heinrich   6-11 255  Jr.  Quakertown, Pa.        6.8 / 5.2
G 3  Justin Love      6-2  210  Sr.  San Francisco, Calif. 19.7 / 4.7
G 5  Marque Perry     6-1  175  Fr.  Chicago, Ill.         10.2 / 1.5

MISSOURI BASKETBALL
It's a Great Time to Be a Tiger!

MU RPI IS A-OK
We know that it's very early in the year, but a quick check of the latest RPI rankings (through games of Dec. 8th) shows that Missouri ranks as the #28 team in the land, even after Tuesday's heartbreaking loss to Indiana.

Certainly no-one associated with MU wants to claim any sort of a moral victory in the 73-68 loss, but the Tigers can hang their hat on the fact that the same RPI ranks Indiana as the #1 team in the country.

In fact, a look at the latest rankings (found on the Internet at www.collegerpi.com) shows that eight Tiger opponents are ranked among the top 25.

As mentioned previously, Indiana tops the list at #1, while Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Texas file in at positions three, four and five, respectively.

Other top 25 opponents include Kansas (#13), Iowa (#15), Kentucky (#23) and Texas Tech (#24). Iowa State is #27, right ahead of the Tigers, who check in at #28. Sunday's opponent, Saint Louis, is currently #170.

MIZZOU-SLU SERIES HISTORY
Missouri and Saint Louis renew their in-state rivalry Sunday when they clash at the TWA Dome. MU has played SLU more times (37) than any other non-conference opponent (see chart below), but Sunday will mark the schools' first game in 19 years. Missouri holds a slight 19-18 edge in the series history.

MU and SLU haven't met since a home-and- home series was played in 1979 and 1980, which the Tigers swept (77-75 in overtime in St. Louis in 1979 and 76-58 in Columbia in 1980). Prior to that, the schools met for eight straight years from 1963 through 1970. Prior to that, there were meetings virtually every season from 1931 through 1949.

Missouri has a 10-6 series lead in games played in St. Louis, and the Tigers have won four of the last five meetings overall, dating back to 1968.

Here's a look at the non-conference teams which Mizzou has faced the most (records as of Dec. 9th):

Opponent      No.  MU W-L
Saint Louis   37   19-18
Arkansas      33   17-16
Drake         34   27-7
Illinois      29   11-18
Creighton     15   9-6
Indiana       15   6-9

GRAWER-SLU TIES
When Tiger sophomore guard Brian Grawer was growing up, he probably thought he'd be playing for SLU rather than Missouri. Grawer's father, Rich, was the head coach at Saint Louis for 10 years (1982-92). Brian was present at SLU practices more often than not, and even accompanied the team to New York City one year when the Billikens reached the Final Four of the NIT.

Rich is retired from coaching, and is now the athletic director at Clayton High School, in St. Louis.

A HOMECOMING OF SORTS
Sunday's game vs. Saint Louis will be a homecoming for four Tigers - juniors Brian Grawer and Johnnie Parker and sophomores Pat Schumacher and Kenge Stevenson. Parker might be the most eager to play Sunday, as he's averaged 10 points in two games as a Tiger playing in his hometown. He's tallied 10 points each of the previous two years playing against Illinois in the Kiel Center. While the Tigers will be playing their first

TALE OF THE TAPE

MIZZOU                                  SLU
5-2       Overall Record                4-2
0-0       Big 12 Record                 n/a
L 1       Current Win-Loss Streak       W 1
.410      Field Goal Percentage         .470
.435      Opponent FG Percentage        .411
.372      3-PT FG Percentage            .311
.339      Opponent 3-PT FG Percentage   .420
9.7       3-PT FGs Made Per Game        4.7
26.1      3-PT FGs Attempted Per Game   15.0
.682      Free Throw Percentage         .685
36.7      Rebound Average               37.3
+1.4      Rebound Margin                +2.3
14.3      Turnovers Per Game            17.2
16.4      Opponents Turnovers Per Game  17.7
69.7      Points Per Game               74.0
62.0      Opponents Points Per Game     66.8
+7.7      Average Margin                +7.2

TIGER FACT-OF-THE-GAME
Missouri has played more games against Saint Louis University (37) than any other non-conference opponent, despite the fact that the two schools haven't met in 19 years.

SERIES HISTORY

ST. LOUIS
(Tigers lead, 19-18)

12-14-31  W, 25-23 at St. Louis
1-9-33    L, 20-27 at St. Louis
12-9-33   W, 26-23 at Columbia
1-27-34   L, 26-30 at St. Louis
12-21-34  L, 18-33 at St. Louis
12-14-35  L, 30-37 at Columbia
2-27-36   W, 31-22 at St. Louis
12-8-36   W, 31-26 at St. Louis
2-13-37   W, 41-27 at Columbia
12-11-37  W, 35-33 at Columbia
12-17-37  L, 24-31 at St. Louis
12-17-38  W, 42-30 at Columbia
12-21-38  L, 27-35 at St. Louis
12-16-39  W, 54-45 at Columbia
12-21-39  W, 48-34 at St. Louis
12-14-40  W, 34-21 at St. Louis
2-12-41   W, 39-24 at Columbia
12-9-41   W, 52-29 at St. Louis
1-6-42    W, 39-24 at Columbia
12-21-45  L, 35-50 at St. Louis
2-5-46    L, 34-40 at Columbia
12-9-46   W, 48-44 at St. Louis
2-6-47    L, 35-36 at St. Louis
12-15-47  L, 34-54 at Columbia
2-4-48    L, 36-49 at St. Louis
2-2-49    L, 27-38 at Columbia
3-10-49   L, 37-54 at St. Louis
12-21-63  L, 65-72 at St. Louis
12-12-64  W, 62-56 at Columbia
12-11-65  L, 55-81 at St. Louis
12-10-66  L, 71-73 OT at Columbia
12-13-67  L, 66-77 at Columbia
12-20-68  W, 91-62 at St. Louis
12-9-69   W, 66-61 at Columbia
12-8-70   L, 70-79 at St. Louis
12-22-79  W, 77-75 OT at St. Louis
12-13-80  W, 76-58 at Columbia

at Columbia: SLU leads, 12-9
at St. Louis: MU leads, 10-6

TIGER COMEBACKS
Missouri has rallied from deficits three times this season to register wins under Quin Snyder. Here's a look at those games:

Date   Opp.         Deficit (Time)        Final Score
11-13  Princeton    9 pts.  (13:06, 1st)  51-48
11-21  UNCA         10 pts. (1:26, 1st)   75-69
12-1   SMU          6 pts.  (5:58, 2nd)   63-60

THE QUIN-TISENNTIALS
The 15th head coach in Missouri basketball history, Quin Snyder is 5-2 in his first season as a head coach. He notched his first career win Nov. 13th vs. Princeton, when the Tigers grabbed a 51-48 victory in the NABC Classic in Syracuse, N.Y.

An exciting new era began at Missouri this past April, when Snyder was introduced as men's head basketball coach by Director of Athletics Michael Alden.

Snyder, an assistant coach at Duke University the past four years, is just the fifth different head coach at Missouri since 1926.

Snyder's mission is to take the Tiger program to the next level. And if that next level represents the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament, Snyder will be a repeat visitor. In 10 years at Duke, he took part in five Final Fours - three as a player (1986, 88, 89) and two more as a coach (1994, 99). For those of you keeping score at home, that's exactly five more Final Fours than Mizzou has qualified for in its previous 93 years.

Snyder had served as Duke's associate head coach the past two seasons, and was entrusted with numerous on-court coaching responsibilities, as well as recruiting duties for the Blue Devils by Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski. He was widely credited with recruiting the group of student-athletes (including 1999 national player-of-the-year Elton Brand) at Duke who compiled a 37-2 record last year and finished as NCAA runners-up.

Snyder and his wife, Helen, were married on Sept. 24th of this year. Snyder celebrated his 33rd birthday on Oct. 30th.

SCHEDULING ODDITY
Sunday's game vs. Saint Louis, marks MU's first foray this season into enemy territory, as all seven of the Tigers' contests thus far have been played either at the friendly confines of the Hearnes Center, or on a neutral court.

Technically, Sunday's game will be another neutral-court matchup, because the TWA Dome is not considered SLU's home court. If you choose to see it this way, that means with neutral-court games coming up against Illinois and Kentucky, Missouri won't play a true road game until Jan. 8th, when they play at Iowa State.

Sunday's game will also be MU's third of the season already playing in a domed stadium. The Tigers began the season with a pair of games at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y., at the NABC Classic. MU split games against Wisconsin and Princeton at that tournament, and hopes it can manage a better shooting percentage mark in the TWA Dome than that of the 32-of-100 performance (that's 32.0 percent for you journalism majors) they had in those two contests.

SHOOTING AROUND In the first three games of the year, Missouri experienced some serious shooting woes, as the Tigers connected on just 34.4 percent of its shots from the floor.

But in the three outings prior to Tuesday's Indiana game, the Tigers had found the range, as MU shot a combined 46.8% from the floor, hitting 87-of-186 attempts.

And the Tigers continued that trend in the first half vs. the Hoosiers, as MU hit an even 50 percent of its shots in jumping out to a 37-28 halftime lead. But the second half was a different story, as MU was held to just 31.4% in the second half, helping pave the way for the IU comeback win.

GETTING DEFENSIVE
You might not think it, but despite the fact that Indiana shot 52.1% from the floor Tuesday night, the Tigers played some pretty good defense against the Hoosiers.

Missouri forced 14 turnovers in the first half, and built a 16-point lead at one point over the nation's 15th-ranked team. But IU hung tough despite MU's fierce pressure, and held onto the ball better in the second half, as they only committed four turnovers after intermission. Missouri's first three opponents shot a combined 49.6% from the floor (69-of-139), but the Tigers have put the clamps down prior to Tuesday.

MU defeated SMU on Dec. 1st, 63-60, in a game in which they held the Mustangs to just 34.9% shooting. SMU guard Stephen Woods scored 24 points on the night, but the Tiger defense did a great job against Mustangs' top two scorers - Willie Davis and Jeryl Sasser - holding them to a combined 8- of-29 (27.6%) from the floor.

The Tigers have twice held opponents to under 35% - including an opponent season-low mark of 34.5% percent vs. Morgan State.

MU FREE THROWS IN LAST FOUR MINUTES

Tiger      FT   FTA   PCT.
Gilbert    5    6     .833
Parker     3    4     .750
Dooling    8    14    .571
Hafer      2    4     .500
Schumacher 2    4     .500
Stevenson  1    2     .500
Soyoye     1    2     .500
Rush       2    6     .333
Total      24   42    .571

IN LAST TWO MINUTES

Tiger      FT  FTA  PCT.
Parker     2   2   1.000
Gilbert    5   6    .833
Dooling    6   10   .600
Soyoye     1   2    .500
Hafer      1   2    .500
Schumacher 1   2    .500
Stevenson  1   2    .500
Rush       2   6    .333
Total      19  32   .594

OPPONENT INDIVIDUAL SEASON HIGHS

Pts:    24, Stephen Woods, SMU, 12-1-99
FG:     9, Stephen Woods, SMU, 12-1-99
FGA:    18, Two tied with
3FG:    6, Stephen Woods, SMU, 12-1-99
3FGA:   12, Stephen Woods, SMU, 12-1-99
FT:     5, Three tied with
FTA:    9, Kirk Haston, Indiana, 12-7-99
Reb.:   12, Jeryl Sasser, SMU, 12-1-99
Asst:   7, Mark Vershaw, Wisconsin, 11-12-99
Blocks: 3, Two tied with
Steals: 3, Jarvis Hayes, W. Carolina, 11-21-99

FREEBIES FALL ONCE AGAIN
Missouri opened the season by hitting 24-of-29 free throws (82.8%) in its first two games, offsetting the Tigers' shooting troubles from the floor.

But in games number 3-4-5, while the Ti-gers found the range from the floor, Missouri struggled from the foul line, as they connected on just 45-of-77 freebies in wins over UNCA, Western Carolina and Morgan State (58.4%).

Missouri has regained the touch from the foul line in its last two outings, however, as they've hit 19-of-23 against SMU and Indiana (82.6%).

MU had trouble getting to the line its last time out, however. Against Indiana, MU earned only eight free throw attempts, making six, while the Hoosiers connected on 18-of-27 on the night - clearly a deciding factor in IU's five-point win.

REBOUND THAT BASKETBALL
Missouri is not exactly what you'd consider a huge team, as only two players on the roster stand 6-foot-9 or taller.

But through seven games thus far, the Tigers are holding their own on the boards, using quickness, leaping ability and rebounding from guards to grab the ball.

Missouri is averaging 36.7 rebounds a game entering the SLU contest, which is 1.4 more per game than opponents at this point.

The Tigers are 3-0 when outrebounding their opponent, and just 2-2 when losing the battle of the boards.

MU has been outrebounded in each of its last two games, albeit by just six boards total.

Despite the smallness of the Tiger lineup, they do hold a solid 85-66 edge on the offensive glass.

GOOD THINGS COME IN THREES
Missouri has used the three-point shot to its advantage this year. The Tigers enter the SLU game Sunday as the top three-point outfit in the Big 12 Conference. Through seven games, Missouri has hit 68-of-183 three pointers, both totals of which lead the Big 12 Con-ference thus far.

MU has made at least 10 three pointers in in three of its last four games, and has two others in which it made nine treys. MU tied a single game school record back on Nov. 27th when it made 15 threes in a rout of Morgan State. The 15 threes made tied an MU single-game record, previously accomplished in 1997 vs. Wake Forest and in 1998 vs. Kansas State.

Seven different Tigers dialed long distance vs. Morgan State, including freshman Josh Kroenke, who came off the bench to nail five treys for the second straight game.

Conversely, Tiger opponents have yet to reach double digits in threes made for a game. Princeton had an opponent high when they hit eight treys on Nov. 13 against the Tigers.

Season records to keep an eye on include 214 three-pointers made and 580 treys attempted, both by the 1997-98 squad. Through seven games, the Tigers are on pace to make 282 three pointers in 758 attempts.

Individually, only one Tiger: freshman Kareem Rush, is the only player to hit a three-point field goal in each game thus far, entering Sunday's SLU contest.

NEW FACES LEADING THE CHARGE
In four of Missouri's last five games, Tiger newcomers Kareem Rush, Tajudeen Soyoye and Josh Kroenke have led the team in scoring.

Rush has led Missouri twice in scoring already in just seven games. He's coming off an outstanding performance against #15 Indiana, in which he scored 16 points (second to Keyon Dooling's 21), added six rebounds and two assists in 24 minutes off the bench. The point total tied his career high, which he tallied against UNC-Asheville on Nov. 19th. In that game, he led the Tigers to a come-from-behind win, erasing a 10-point deficit. The freshman fromKansas City also led the Tigers in scoring on Dec. 1 vs. SMU, when he chipped in with 13 points.

Previously vs. Morgan State, MU's top three scorers were freshman Josh Kroenke (18 points), Rush (14) and Soyoye (13). Kroenke nailed 5-of-7 three pointers against the Bears, marking the second straight

DOOLING GETS UNTRACKED
Electrifying guard Keyon Dooling busted out of a three-game shooting slump on Tuesday, and nearly led the Tigers to an upset win over #15 Indiana.

Dooling, who had made just 5-of-32 field goals (15.6%) in the three games prior to Tuesday, hit 7-of-14 shots vs. the Hoosiers, on his way to a game-high 21 points. Included in that total was a 4-of-8 performance from three-point range. He also led the Tigers with four assists, and added two steals to boot.

Entering the SLU game, Dooling leads the Tigers in scoring (13.9 ppg), assists (24), three-point field goals (14-of-38) and free throws (23- of-38).

Prior to Tuesday, he was held to eight points vs. SMU, on just 1-of-10 shooting. But the one field goal made every highlight reel, as he beat the Mustangs' Jeryl Sasser to the basket for a thunderous jam. He contributed to the Tigers' comeback win in other ways, however, as Dooling had four assists, five rebounds, three steals and hit 6-of-8 free throws, including a pair of game clinchers with under 20 seconds left in the game.

Dooling helped fuel a Tiger comeback vs. UNC-Asheville, as he scored all 15 of his points in the second half, erasing a 10-point Bulldog lead. Dooling was held scoreless in the first half, as he could play only 9 minutes due to foul trouble.

Dooling led Missouri to victory against Princeton on Nov. 13th, as he scored 25 of MU's 51 points on the night (that's 49.0 percent of the team's scoring). The 25 points was a career high for the Fort Lauderdale, Fla. native. He hit a personal-best 5-of-6 three pointers on the night.

In the offseason, Dooling vowed he would become more of a scoring threat from the outside, and it's shown in the early going.

Through seven games, Dooling, who was the runner-up last year in Big 12 Freshman-of-the-Year voting, has made 14 three pointers. In 28 games last year, he made all of eight treys.

RUSH MAKING AN EARLY IMPRESSION
Okay, it might be a little early to begin the hype for Big 12 Freshman-of-the-Year honors already, but when the time comes, rest assured that Tiger rookie Kareem Rush will figure into the mix.

There's no question that Rush has made a big impact early on in his Tiger career. He's led Missouri in scoring two times already, and has done the same trick twice in rebounding, as well. He's also the only Tiger to hit a three-point field goal in each of MU's seven games.

In MU's seven games, Rush is averaging 11.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. His scoring output is second best on the team, and he's third on the squad in rebounding - not bad considering he's coming off the bench.

Rush is averaging 14.3 points in his last three games, and has scored in double figures in four of his last five. He's coming off a scintillating performance against Indiana, where he tied a personal best with 16 points.

He had a career-high 16 point game vs. UNCA. He hit 3 three-pointers on the night, and helped keep the Tigers in a game in which they trailed by 10 points at one point.

In MU's win against Princeton, Rush gave Quin Snyder 31 key minutes. He managed just five points (on 1-of-8 shooting), but came up huge on the boards, as he grabbed a game-high 10 caroms, including the game-saving rebound after Princeton's last-second attempt was no good. He also added two assists and a blocked shot on the night.

Because he's a smooth lefty who hails from Kansas City, Rush draws natural comparisons to former Tiger all-American Anthony Peeler. Though it's early, Rush's numbers compare favorably to Peeler in his freshman year.

Here's a quick look at how other prominent Tigers fared as freshmen:

Tiger Fresh.       Year     Pts.  Rebs.
Steve Stipanovich  1979-80  14.4  6.4
Derrick Chievous   1984-85  13.1  5.3
Kelly Thames       1993-94  12.2  7.1
Jevon Crudup       1990-91  12.0  7.1
Nathan Buntin      1986-87  11.8  4.9
Doug Smith         1987-88  11.3  6.6
Kareem Rush        1999-00  11.0  4.6
Anthony Peeler     1988-89  10.1  3.7
Melvin Booker      1990-91  8.3   2.2
Curtis Berry       1977-78  6.8   4.7
Larry Drew         1976-77  6.9   2.8
Jon Sundvold       1979-80  6.3   1.7

GILBERT TAKING CHARGE
One of Missouri's most valuable players continues to be sophomore guard Clarence Gilbert, who can give the Tigers a lift by scoring, rebounding and playing defense.

MU RECORD WHEN

Ahead at half                   3-1
Behind at half                  2-1
FG% of .450 or more             2-0
FG% less than .450              3-2
Better FG% than opp.            3-0
Worse FG% than opp.             2-2
Opp. shoots less than .450      3-0
3FG% of .400 or more            2-0
3FG% less than .400             3-2
Try more than 20 3FGs           4-2
Try 20 or less 3FGs             1-0
Try more FTs than opp.          4-0
Try less FTs than opp.          1-2
Bench outscores opp. bench      3-0
Opp. bench outscores MU bench   2-2
Outrebound opp.                 3-0
Tied or outrebounded            2-2
More TOs than opp.              2-1
Same or fewer TOs               3-1
Make 10 or more TOs             4-2
Make less than 10 TOs           1-0
Score less than 50 pts.         0-0
Score 50-59 pts.                1-1
Score 60-69 pts.                1-1
Score 70-79 pts.                1-0
Score 80 or more pts.           2-0
Allow less than 50 pts.         1-0
Allow 50-59 pts.                1-0
Allow 60-69 pts.                3-1
Allow 70-79 pts.                0-1
Allow 80 or more pts.           0-0
Overtime                        0-0
Vs. AP Top 25                   0-1
Home Games                      4-1
Road Games                      0-0
Neutral Site Games              1-1
Day Games                       2-0
Night Games                     3-2
On Monday                       0-0
On Tuesday                      0-1
On Wednesday                    1-0
On Thursday                     0-0
On Friday                       1-1
On Saturday                     2-0
On Sunday                       1-0
On Mizzou Sports Network        1-2
On CBS                          0-0
On ESPN                         0-0
On ESPN-Plus                    0-0
On ABC                          0-0

GAMES DECIDED ...

5 pts. or less                  2-1
6-10 pts.                       1-0
11-19 pts.                      1-1
20 or more pts.                 1-0

GRAWER FINDING THE RANGE
Junior guard Brian Grawer says he's never experienced the kind of shooting slump such as the one that saw him shoot just 20.7% (6- of-29) in MU's first four games of the year.

But if his last three outings, are any indication, the St. Louis native appears to be regaining the form that saw him rank third in the nation last year in three-point field goal percentage (49.6%).

Grawer was held to six points against a stifling Indiana defense on Tuesday, but he did manage to knock down 2-of-4 three pointers.

In his last three games, he's hit 6-of-8 treys, and has now hit two threes in each of the last four contests.

The St. Louis native had an eight-point, six-rebound effort vs. SMU Dec. 1st. He hit 3- of-4 field goals on the night, including a perfect 2-of-2 from three-point land. Prior to that, Grawer went for a season-best 10-point game vs. Morgan State. He hit 4-of-5 field goals on the day, including both of his three-point attempts. That gives him 7-of-9 field goals, including 4-of-4 from three-point range, in his last two games.

For the season, Grawer is now shooting 34.1 percent from the floor (37.0 percent from three-point range), and is averaging 6.7 points a game. He averaged 9.6 points a game last season as a sophomore, and shot 48.1 percent for the year.

HAFER KEYS WIN WITH LATE HEROICS
Not many people other than a senior could enter the final five minutes of a tight game in which he had zero points and four fouls and take control. But that's exactly what Tiger senior Jeff Hafer accomplished on Dec. 1 vs. SMU, when he almost single-handedly willed Missouri to a come-from-behind win.

Missouri trailed by six with five minutes left, and Hafer came in, despite being held scoreless and shackled with four fouls.

But he responded like the senior leader his teammates look to him for, as he had a hand in seven of MU's final nine points, as they came back for a 63-60 win.

Hafer began by knocking down a three-pointer with 3:10 left that tied the game at 57- 57. Then, with 1:40 left, he stole the ball and fed T.J. Soyoye for a dunk that gave MU the lead for good, at 59-57. Finally, on MU's next possession, he got free on a drive to the bas-ket for a layup which provided the eventual winning points.

Hafer has come off the bench in all of Gilbert is the team's fourth-leading scorer (9.1 ppg) and rebounder (3.9 rpg), at just 6- foot-2 inches tall.

He had 12 points and added five rebounds Tuesday vs. Indiana, but perhaps his defense was the most impressive. He grabbed three steals on the night, and helped hold IU all-American candidate A.J. Guyton to just 4-of-11 shooting. Gilbert guarded Guyton for most of the first half, in which Guyton scored just three points, and had four turnovers.

On Nov. 21st vs. Western Carolina, Gilbert grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds, in addition to tying a career-high with 13 points. That marked the sparkplug's first career double-double. Previously, he was held to a season-low four points vs. SMU, and went without a made three-point field goal for the first time this season.

Despite his lack of offense, Gilbert proved quite valuable as he held SMU's star guard Jeryl Sasser scoreless until 15 minutes were left in the game. Sasser, who entered the game averaging 19 points a game, was held to 10 on the night, on just 4-of-18 field goals.

Gilbert has scored in double figures in three of his last five games, and is currently third on the squad with 17 assists.

DOUBLE TROUBLE
While his name gives broadcasters and public address announcers the heeby-jeebys, junior center Tajudeen Soyoye has been creating even more distress for Tiger opponents on the court of late.

After a slow start offensively, MU's 'Nigerian Nightmare' is catching fire. He's scored in double figures in four of his last five games. He was saddled with foul trouble Tuesday against Indiana, and was held to nine points, but he's still averaging 12.6 points in his last five outings.

Despite going up against taller opponents, he's hit a solid 70.1% of his field goals in the last five games (26-of-39).

Soyoye tallied 19 points and 11 rebounds in MU's 85-68 win over Western Carolina. It marked the Lagos, Nigeria native's first career double-double at MU.

Soyoye hit 8-of-11 field goals on the day, and snagged seven offensive rebounds in 29 minutes of action.

Soyoye enters the SLU game as MU's third-leading scorer (10.3 ppg) and is the team's top rebounder (7.6 rpg). He's also shooting a team-best 60.9% from the floor through seven contests.

MSN TELEVISION AFFILIATES
Following are the statewide television affiliates for the Mizzou Sports Network's broadcast of the Missouri-Saint Louis game on Dec. 12:

Cape Girardeau    WDKA-TV
Columbia          KOMU-TV
Joplin            KGCS-TV
Kansas City       Metro Sports
Kirksville        Cable One
St. Joseph        St. Joseph Cablevision
St. Louis         KPLR-TV
Springfield       KYTV

MU MILESTONES

• Brian Grawer needs 6 three-point field goals to move into 8th place on the MU career three-point field goal chart.
• Jeff Hafer needs 10 steals to move into 7th place on the MU career steals chart.
• Four Tigers - seniors Jeff Hafer, Mark Wampler and juniors Brian Grawer and Tajudeen Soyoye - visited a Columbia restaurant on Thanksgiving Day and helped distribute food to the needy and homeless.
• Junior guard Brian Grawer helps coach the boys fifth-grade basketball team at Columbia's Mill Creek Elementary School on Thursday nights.
• Freshman guard Josh Kroenke was a ballboy for the Missouri basketball team as a grade-schooler in Columbia.
• Missouri held a canned food drive earlier in the season in conjunction with the Thanksgiving holiday, and fans donated over 1,000 cans of food for the area homeless.

KROENKE DIALS LONG DISTANCE
Freshman guard Josh Kroenke came of age in a two-game stretch recently, as the Columbia, Mo. native averaged 16.5 points in wins over Western Carolina and Morgan State. Kroenke, who was held scoreless in MU's first three games of the year, exploded for 33 points in those two games. He led Missouri with a career-high 18 point outing vs. Morgan State, in which he nailed 5-of-7 three pointers.

Previously vs. Western Carolina, he came out gunning, and lit up the Catamounts for 15 points in just 13 minutes of play, on 5-of-8 three pointers. He came off the bench and gave MU a spark when they were struggling offensively.

All told, Kroenke hit 11-of-17 shots in the two-game stretch (64.7%) including 10-of-15 three-point field goals (66.7%).

He's been held to just two points in MU's last two games, but is still second on the squad in field goal percentage (46.2%) and three-point shooting (43.5%).

12-GAGE JOINS THE SQUAD
The Missouri roster grew by one recently, when freshman guard Justin Gage joined the team.

Gage is a quarterback for the Mizzou football team, and played in three games this sea-son for coach Larry Smith's Tigers as a true freshman. He threw for 138 yards in those three games, and tossed two touchdowns against Texas A&M on Nov. 13th in Columbia. Gage was a standout player in basketball for Jefferson City High School, as well as being an all-state quarterback for the Jays.

He sat in street clothes on MU's bench for the first time vs. Morgan State, and began practicing with the squad the next day. He did not play vs. SMU on Dec. 1st, but saw his first action of the year Tuesday against Indiana. Gage played four minutes vs. the Hoosiers, and made the most of his time on the floor. In the first half, he grabbed an offensive rebound and swung the ball over to teammate Brian Grawer (who wears Gage's football number 12) for a three pointer, giving Gage a rebound and an assist on the same sequence.

TIGERS SIGN THREE PREP BLUE-CHIPPERS DURING EARLY PERIOD
MU Head Coach Quin Snyder has signed three high school standouts in what is quickly becoming one of the nation's top recruiting classes.

During the early signing period, which ran from Nov. 10-17, Snyder inked prep stars Rickey Paulding, Arthur Johnson and Wesley Stokes to national letters of intent. Paulding and Johnson hail from Detroit, Mich., while Stokes is from Long Beach, Calif.

RICKEY PAULDING
Paulding, a 6-foot-5 guard from Detroit Renaissance High School, is considered one of the nation's top 30 prep prospects, and has been selected to the pre-season all-American team by Street & Smith Magazine. He averaged 25.6 points, 11.2 rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots per game last season at Renaissance High, and was selected to Michigan's all-state team in 1999. His point total led the extremely competitive Detroit Public School League last year. In addition to his success on the court, Paulding has enjoyed much success in the classroom as well, having fully met NCAA standards, and boasting an exceptional academic record at one of the countries' top academic high schools.

Paulding selected Missouri over Michigan State, Ohio State and Miami, Fla.

ARTHUR JOHNSON
Johnson, a 6-foot-9 power forward from Detroit Pershing High School, is considered a top 30 national prospect by many recruiting services. He's one of the top big men in the country, and is coming off a season in which he averaged 16 points and 13 rebounds per game as a junior. He led his Pershing team to a top-five ranking in the state last year, and earned all-state honors for his efforts.

Johnson selected Missouri over Miami, Fla., Michigan, Ohio State and Michigan State. His high school coach is Arnold Neville.

WESLEY STOKES
Stokes, a 5-foot-10 point guard out of Long Beach Poly, is considered the top-rated point guard prospect in the West, and is a top-50 national recruit. Stokes averaged 16 points, eight assists and four steals per game last year as a junior, and garnered much attention after some superb play in various summer all-star camps.

Stokes selected Missouri over Southern California, San Diego State, Texas and Massachusetts. His high school coach is Ron Palmer, who directed Long Beach Poly to a 24-7 record last season, and the quarterfinals of the Southern California Regionals. They are a pre-season favorite to win the Southern Section Division I-AA championship, which would be their second in the past four years.

'We're obviously very excited to have such good kids want to join our program,' said Quin Snyder. 'We get better with all three of them, in different ways.'

THE QUIN SNYDER SHOW
Starting the weekend of January 8, Tiger fans can join Quin Snyder for 13 weekends of exciting Tiger basketball. Beginning with rugged Big 12 Conference play right through the excitement of the NCAA Tournament, viewers will be able to meet Tiger players, review action-packed highlights and receive Coach Snyder's analysis of each week's games.

Watch the Quin Snyder Show on the following network affiliates across the state of Missouri:

CITY           STATION       DAY/TIME  
C. Girardeau   KBSI-TV       Sun.@10 p.m.
Columbia       KOMU-TV       Sat.@12:30 p.m.
Joplin         KGCS-TV       Thur.@6:30 p.m.
Kansas City    KMCI-TV       Sat.@12 p.m.
Kansas City    Metro Sports  Mon. @ 7 p.m.
Kirksville     KYOU-TV       Sun.@11:30 p.m.
St. Louis      KPLR-TV       Sun.@9:30 a.m.
St. Joseph     KQTV          Sat.@TBA
Springfield    KYTV          Sat.@12 p.m.

TIGER QUICK NOTES
Sophomore forward Matt Rowan left the University of Missouri men's basketball team, and will transfer from MU at the following of the fall semester, as announced Nov. 16th by Head Coach Quin Snyder.

Rowan, a Liberty, Mo. native, did not play in either of Missouri's games at the NABC Classic in Syracuse, N.Y. The 6-foot-7 forward saw limited action last season as a freshman, averaging 0.8 points and 1.4 rebounds in 17 games. He averaged 4.9 minutes played in those contests.

Rowan will remain on scholarship through the end of the fall semester, after which time he will be released from his commitment. By releasing him at the end of the semester, Rowan will be allowed to pursue a number of options. He will be eligible to play immediately at any Division II school, and would have to sit out until the end of the first semester of the 2000- 2001 season if he was to choose another Division I program.

'We wish Matt the very best, and we'll do whatever we can to help him with his future plans,' said Coach Snyder. 'He's made a personal decision that he wants to be in a program where he'll be able to make more of a contribution, and we certainly understand and respect his decision.'