Columbia, Mo. ? Missouri played the first half against Fordham on Tuesday like Mike Anderson’s up-tempo style is supposed to be played.

That’s why the sluggish second half that followed wasn’t a problem for Missouri in a 79-55 victory over the Rams in the CBE Classic’s Columbia Regional.

“That’s Missouri basketball,” Carroll said of the first half. “That’s how (Anderson) wants us to play. If we can just carry that over to the second half, we’re going to be a dangerous team.”

Missouri (2-0) shot 61 percent in the first half and held the Rams (1-1) to 25 percent shooting while it built a 53-23 halftime lead. The Tigers also committed just three turnovers and had 15 assists the first half.

“If I could ball that up, I’d be a rich, rich man,” Anderson said.

Two quick baskets in the second half pushed the lead to 34 points before Missouri went into a 1-for-15 slump over the next 10 minutes. Anderson said he thinks the letdown was caused by the big halftime lead.

“Coach told us to come out fired up for the first five minutes,” Keon Lawrence said. “But we figured the game was over, and we can’t do that.”

Missouri’s solid defensive play kept Fordham from ever getting close.

The Tigers forced 21 turnovers and held the Rams to just 30 percent shooting.

“We start playing too careful, like we’re protecting the lead. But that can’t be us,” Anderson said. “Basketball is a game of 40 minutes. When you’ve got momentum, you’ve got to take it as long as you can.”

With the victory, Missouri advances to the semifinals of the CBE Classic on Monday in Kansas City, Mo., against the winner of today’s game between Michigan State and Louisiana-Monroe in the final of the East Lansing, Mich., Regional.

No. 15 Texas A&M 67, Oral Roberts 53

College Station, Texas – Josh Carter scored 15 points, and Chinemelu Elonu keyed a second-half spurt to help Texas A&M beat Oral Roberts in an NIT quarterfinal matchup.

The Aggies (2-0) came out sloppy in the second half, and when they committed their fourth turnover before the 16-minute mark, coach Mark Turgeon had seen enough. He benched all of his starters except for Dominique Kirk.

By then, Texas A&M’s 20-point halftime lead had shrunk to 40-26. After a jumper by Moses Ehambe, Robert Jarvis hit a long 3 to cut the Aggies lead to nine.