remember it accurately.
http://archive.columbiatribune.com/1993/nov/19931129spor01.htm
The Hearnes Center spent most of last night in a collective state of shock.
Freshman Kelly Thames was finally able to bring the Tigers and the fans around as Missouri beat Central Missouri State 69-66 in a down-to-the wire test of
nerves. he Tigers trailed most of the night, by as much as 14 points in the first half.
``We were outplayed, we were outprepared and we were outcoached, but we won the game,'' Missouri coach Norm Stewart said.
The Mules never quit knocking. They led for the final 18:03 of the first half and built it to 14 points three times, the last being 28-14 with 7:27 left. The Tigers closed to 36-31 at halftime.
Missouri regained the lead at 44-43 when Melvin Booker scored on a fast break started with a blocked shot by Chris Heller.
The Mules remained stubborn. Thames' free throws were the seventh lead change after that. There were also three ties in that span.
With 4:16 to play, Heller left the game with five fouls, three points, eight rebounds and four blocks. That made Thames, a 6-foot-7 forward from Jennings, Missouri's big man for the duration.
``I was just trying to play my game and play like I did in high school,'' Thames said. ``Just play hard, that's all.''
He played the full 40 minutes.
``I thought a couple times that we would give him a little rest, but each time that we were about ready to do that, we'd get a timeout,'' Stewart said. ``I just kept checking with him. He seemed to be doing all right. He knocked his free throws down at the end, which means that condition-wise he's in pretty good shape.''
Thames made nine of 11 free throws, including six of six in the final minutes, starting with the pair that gave Missouri the lead for good.