AMES, Iowa – Benched after 11 minutes with two personal fouls, Kevin Puryear scored 0 points for Missouri while the Tigers unraveled in the first half against Iowa State Friday night. When things got worse at the beginning of the second, coach Cuonzo Martin turned back to Puryear. He scored 9 within the first eight minutes. The Tigers were still swept away by the Cyclones in what ended up amounting to a 76-59 loss, but a small stretch early in the second frame dominated by the 6-foot-7 senior paved the way for a short-lived glimmer of hope. It also demonstrated that Missouri is quick to compensate for youthful mistakes by putting the ball in the hands of a seasoned leader. “I think in the first half, the fouls definitely held me back,” Puryear said. “I wasn’t able to get into a flow of the game, but I was more assertive in the second half. Shots started falling in.” He finished the game with 10 points and 5 rebounds, sinking just one 3-pointer and going 3-for-5 on field goals in the second half. Sophomore transfer Mark Smith was Missouri’s leading scorer again, tallying 15 points, and Jeremiah Tilmon posted 7 rebounds, but nothing seemed quite as substantial as Puryear’s second half burst. Iowa State’s lead narrowed, if briefly, from 17 points to 10. “We were late to the fires a couple of times with [Puryear],” Iowa State coach Steve Prohm. Martin said it was “definitely” important to get Puryear more involved… [Read full story]
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