K.J. Walton scored 19 points, the sophomore guard's second strong game in a row, and Missouri pulled away from Northwestern State for an 84-60 win Saturday at Mizzou Arena in Columbus, Mo.

Walton was coming off a 20-point performance in the Tigers' win over Tulane on Sunday at the Tire Pros Invitational. He had 11 points in the first half against Northwestern State and finished in double figures in back-to-back games for the first time in his career.

Missouri (3-2) dropped its first two games of last week's tournament, but responded to beat the Green Wave behind a smothering defense that held Tulane to 33.3-percent shooting.

The Tigers used their defense to win their second in a row on Saturday, holding Northwestern State to just 35.8-percent shooting from the floor. The Demons didn't help themselves at the foul line, either, connecting on just 7 of 14 free throws.

Meanwhile, the Missouri offense was efficient, shooting 51.6 percent with 19 assists on 32 field goals. Sophomore guard Kevin Puryear added 11 points and six rebounds and Cullen VanLeer finished with 10 points for the Tigers, who fell behind early.

Northwestern State maintained an early lead and was up 16-11 after a layup by Ishmael Lane with 11:48 to play. Missouri fought back, took the lead on a Frankie Hughes 3-pointer and closed the first half with a 15-4 run to go into the break up 39-27.

Missouri blew the game open with a 12-2 run, capped by a 3-pointer by VanLeer that gave the Tigers a 60-39 lead with 11 minutes to play. Northwestern State never seriously challenged.

Senior Zeek Woodley scored 16 points to lead the Demons (2-3).

The Tigers will host North Carolina Central on Monday. Northwestern State stays in the SEC and will travel to Mississippi State on Monday.