Dec. 8, 2007
| COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) - Leo Lyons had 13 points and 10 rebounds, leading a second-half charge after Missouri squandered an 11-point lead and helping the Tigers break away from young Purdue 73-63 on Saturday.
Reserves Keon Lawrence and J.T. Tiller had 11 points apiece for Missouri (6-3), which has a 16-game winning streak at home against non-conference opponents dating to 2005-06. The Tigers are 5-0 at home this season, winning the first four against lesser competition by an average of 27 points.
E'Twaun Moore had 15 points and Keaton Grant 13 for Purdue (5-2). Scott Martin, the Boilermakers' leading scorer with a 12-point average and one of four freshman starters, was in foul trouble throughout, totaling six points before getting eliminated with 4:05 to go and Purdue ahead 60-57.
Purdue was 3-for-19 from 3-point range, three days after hitting a season-best 10 3-pointers against Ball State.
Robbie Hummel had five points and Johnson four in an 11-0 run that put Purdue up by 10 at 59-49 with 7:48 to go. Missouri was 3-for-16 to start the second half and went nearly four minutes without a point during Purdue's run.
Hummel's fastbreak layup put Purdue ahead 50-49 at the 10-minute mark and he added a three-point point play after another layup on the break 42 seconds later.
Purdue was held to only two points for more than six minutes while Missouri climbed back into it. The Tigers regained the lead on Lyons' three-point play for a 63-61 lead with 2:03 to go.
Lyons blocked a shot on the other end on Purdue's next possession and scored the Tigers' final points on a fastbreak dunk with 26 seconds to go.
Missouri overcame a disjointed first half that included turnovers on three consecutive possessions and misses on the front end of the bonus two straight chances to take a 44-36 lead.
The game, promoted as a near-sellout on Missouri's web site, drew a half-full crowd of 7,699 to the Mizzou Arena with thousands of empty seats in prime locations.