No. 12 Missouri 102, South Carolina State 51: Earnest Ross came off the bench to score 16 points and lead five players in double digits as the Tigers cruised to their 72nd consecutive home win against a non-conference opponent.
Keion Bell and Jabari Brown added 12 apiece and Laurence Bowers and Stefan Jankovic each scored 11 for Missouri (9-1), which has won five straight. The Tigers shot 56.9 percent despite going 6-of-27 from 3-point range.
Matthew Hezekiah had 14 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Bulldogs (4-7), who have lost four straight and six of seven. South Carolina State shot just 29 percent overall and was 6-for-23 from 3-point range.
The Tigers reeled off a 13-0 run over a span of 6:34 in the first half to break it open, then added another 13-0 spurt over the final 3:34 of the half for a 49-18 advantage at the break.
Bowers became the 44th player in Missouri history with 1,000 points. Brown, a transfer from Oregon, was 3-of-9 from the floor in his Missouri debut after becoming eligible at the end of the fall semester.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Tigers have held the opposition under 70 points and below 42 percent shooting in all of their wins. … South Carolina State has lost 18 consecutive road games against Division I opponents dating to Nov. 26, 2011. … Missouri will face No. 10 Illinois in the annual Braggin' Rights game Saturday in St. Louis.
South Carolina State | Missouri | |
Matthew Hezekiah 14 | Scoring | Earnest Ross 16 |
Khalif Toombs 8 | Assists | Phil Pressey 6 |
Matthew Hezekiah 12 | Rebounds | Alex Oriakhi 11 |
Matthew Hezekiah 4 | Free Throws Made | Jabari Brown 5 |
Matthew Hezekiah 2 | Steals | Keion Bell 2 |
Chasen Campbell 1 | Blocks | Alex Oriakhi 1 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
South Carolina State | 51 | 29.0 | 6-23 | 5-6 | 13 | 31 | 2 | 5 | 12 |
Missouri | 102 | 56.9 | 6-27 | 14-16 | 19 | 44 | 3 | 8 | 7 |