Missouri 66, Colorado 62

1/26/2008 5:17 PM

By ARNIE STAPLETON
AP Sports Writer

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) -Leo Lyons scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half and Missouri overcame a 13-point deficit over the final 10 minutes for a 66-62 win over Colorado on Saturday.

The Tigers (12-8, 2-3), who snapped a three-game losing streak and a five-game road skid, never led in the first 38 minutes. Then, Matt Lawrence set up in the left corner and swished a 3-pointer that gave Missouri a 61-60 lead with 2 minutes left.

They wouldn't trail again.

Lyons' slam dunk after a turnover by Marcus Hall made it 63-60. After Hall, who scored 28, sank two free throws with 1:10 remaining to make it 63-62, it was all Tigers.

DeMarre Carroll missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 34 seconds left and the Buffs got the ball, but Stefhon Hannah stole it and laid it in for a 65-62 lead.

Xavier Silas missed a 3-pointer for the tie and Hannah, who scored 11 of his 13 points after halftime, sank a free throw for the final margin.

Hall scored 20 first-half points as the Buffs (9-10, 1-4) built a 34-24 halftime lead, one they would stretch to 50-37 halfway through the second half.

The Tigers reeled off eight straight points to cap a 13-3 spurt that pulled them to 53-50 with 6 1/2 minutes remaining, and they kept chipping away until Lawrence's 3-pointer put them ahead for good. Lawrence finished with nine points.

Richard Roby had 14 points and 13 boards for Colorado, which outrebounded the taller Tigers 33-32.

Hall scored 20 points in the first half on 8-of-9 shooting, including 4-of-5 from three-point range.

That wasn't like the Tigers, who sport the nation's second-best perimeter defense, which was on display in the second half as the Buffs missed all six of their shots from beyond the arc, sparking Missouri's comeback.