It all started when Tiffany Brooks was forced to the floor during the second half of Missouri women’s basketball game against Texas A&M.
“Come on, Jesse!” Missouri coach Cindy Stein screamed to Jesse Dickerson, one of the three referees. “She tripped her!”
Keon Lawrence took it from there.
“Jesse!” Lawrence immediately called loudly from the stands, spreading his arms wide and shaking his body.
Lawrence, a freshman guard for the Missouri men’s basketball team, was at the game with several of his teammates, and said despite a 21-point Aggies lead at halftime, he was there to watch the game.
“I saw they were playing Texas A&M and they need some support,” Lawrence said. “I’m here for them. Me and the fellas.”
The Tigers’ first-half play didn’t give their male fans much to cheer about, but a 25-4 Missouri run in the second half helped put Missouri in the lead.
“I didn’t give up on them,” Lawrence said between cheers. “That’s why I’m still here. I didn’t give up on them.”
Junior guard Jason Horton sat behind Lawrence and said the team tries to make it to games when it can. A lot of times, the men’s team is playing at the same time.
“They’re playing against a ranked team. It’s good to see us supporting them, because, obviously,” Horton glanced around at the game’s meager 1,354 fans, “it’s kind of sad. This is an exciting game. They should have a lot more fans here.”
Lawrence and Horton both know the frustration of being down several points, fighting hard and still coming up short. The women lost to the Aggies, 69-63.
“I definitely understand,” Lawrence said. “That’s why I’m cheering so loud.”
Domonique Johnson, a cornerback for the MU football team, also lounged in the stands and watched the game with the MU basketball players. Johnson said he was there because the women come to his games, and he promised some of the Tigers he would stay for the whole game.
“The girls came to all the games,” Johnson said. “They might not stay long, but they be in the same corner, same spot.”
Horton was also there to watch another Horton on the court. Ashlaa Horton, a freshman forward, went to the same high school as Jason Horton.
“She played the first half, but the game got tight, and I don’t think they put her in the second half,” Horton said. “She’s young, so she’s got a lot of time to play.”
As the game slipped away from the Tigers, desperation fouls sent Aggies to the free-throw line. Lawrence stepped closer to the court to yell while A’Quonesia Franklin squared up for her shot.
“Jesse!” Lawrence called, eliciting laughter from his teammates. Stefhon Hannah ran over to join him in some heckling.
“It’s all a part of the game,” Horton said, laughing. “We’re fans right now.”
Johnson agreed, saying he enjoyed his time as a fan.
“Yeah, I ain’t getting yelled at,” he said. “It’s always good to be out of that position.”