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Big swat, no sweat
by STEVE WALENTIK, STEVE WALENTIK of the Tribune's staff , Columbia Daily Tribune
"That was the spark we need to get over the hump," Tiller said. "It was a very big play."
It wasn't the only one Ramsey made. He finished with four points, four rebounds, one assist, two steals and two blocks. His 15 minutes were so productive, he might be looking at more playing time as the Tigers head into Big 12 Conference play, which begins Saturday at Nebraska.
At least that's what Ramsey, a 6-foot-9 junior college transfer, is hoping.
"You've got to show Coach you got to play," he said. "You've got to do little things, and you've got to do things on offense.
"Today, I did things on defense, and I stayed out there."
Anderson recruited Ramsey from Okaloosa-Walton College in Niceville, Fla., to be a key piece of the Tigers' frontline. The junior college All-American has produced a few highlights in his first season, including an eight-point outing against Southern California, a seven-rebound effort against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and a three-block performance against California.
Anderson would like to see even more, especially when it comes to protecting the rim.
"We take some risks, so it's good to have a guy back there that has the quickness and athletic ability and I think the know-how," Anderson said. "I think the more he gets a chance to go out there and play, the more he's going to help our basketball team."
- HAPPY HOMECOMING: Anderson was concerned that Tiller would try to so hard to impress the 25 family members and friends at the game from his hometown of Marietta, Ga., that he would press.
"I always say, it can go one of two ways," Anderson said. "You can try so hard that things kind of blow up in front of you, but I thought he did a great job of playing team basketball."
Tiller's three-point play with 4:48 left came during a 10-0 Missouri run that pushed the Tigers' advantage to 68-56. He was one of five Missouri players to score in double figures and finished with 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting. He led the Tigers with four assists and three steals and picked up four rebounds.
"You always hear of guys trying to do things they usually don't do when they come home," Tiller said. "So my biggest thing was stay under control, don't let my nerves get to me and play within the team. It was fun."
- WELCOME BACK: It didn't surprise Leo Lyons to see Georgia senior Terrance Woodbury lighting up the Tigers with a career-high 27 points, including five 3-pointers. Missouri's senior forward had seen that kind of hot shooting from Woodbury four years ago when the two were teammates at Coastal Christian Academy in Virginia Beach, Va.
"He played like that in high school," Lyons said. "I knew what he had. He came out and was making shots, and it helped them."
Woodbury, who sat out the past four games with an ankle injury, got the Bulldogs off to a quick start in his first game since a Dec. 9 victory over Virginia Tech. He had 10 points in the game's first nine minutes as Georgia opened up a 21-15 lead with 11:10 left.
He continued making shots the rest of the afternoon, sinking 9 of 13 attempts from the field, to keep the Bulldogs competitive despite 23 turnovers.
"It was good to see him back," Georgia Coach Dennis Felton said. "I was a real good opportunity for him to find out what he can do. He got going early and obviously moved very well. It was a spectacular effort by him."
Reach Steve Walentik at (573) 815-1788 or swalentik@tribmail.com
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