The Tigers improved to 8-5 heading into SEC play after this blowout performance.
Coming off an eight-day hiatus since its brutal defeat against Illinois, Missouri men’s basketball took care of business against Central Arkansas at home. The Tigers had five double-digit scorers in the win over the Bears.
Junior guard Tamar Bates stole the show for the Tigers, scoring a season-high 25 points on an efficient 9-of-10 shooting night. He made all three of his three-point attempts on an otherwise poor shooting game for Missouri.
The Tigers did not play an amazing first 15 minutes of basketball. They turned the ball over eight times in that period, only leading by three with 5:26 to play. Soon after, a jumper from graduate guard Sean East II sparked a much needed run for the rest of the game.
The Tigers got out to a 11-3 lead early on, with East hitting a three to extend the lead. The Bears responded strong, narrowing their deficit to only one point. The lead fluctuated for Missouri, never being more than nine or less than three points.
It wasn’t until the 5:26 mark where Missouri would start a run. A fast break dunk from freshman guard Anthony Robinson II got the crowd on their feet, making the score 37-28. A pair of free throws from graduate forward Noah Carter put them up 11, giving Mizzou Arena a sigh of relief.
Despite a slow start, the Tigers exited the first half leading 46-31 after a last-second jumper from Bates. The junior guard had 14 points in the first half.
Missouri started the second half on a 7-0 run, sparked by a dunk from graduate center Connor Vanover. Bates scored twice in a row, one being his third triple of the game.
With 15 minutes left in the half, the game was all but done. A triple from Carter put the Tigers up 26, and another win was in the cards for Missouri. There was still plenty of game to play, but the Tigers continued to score at will, with five in a row coming from East.
Sophomore forward Aidan Shaw got in on the action, scoring three times in the second half. Shaw secured five rebounds throughout the entire game, as well as recording one assist and one block.
Other players got in on the scoring, including freshman forward Trent Pierce. Pierce had four points on 2-of-5 shooting. Junior guard Curt Lewis also contributed, scoring six points on 3-of-4 shooting.
The Tigers dominated in nearly every statistical category with multiple players contributing to the win. Missouri forced 20 turnovers and scored 32 points off those turnovers compared to Central Arkansas’ 18. Missouri also dominated scoring inside the three-point line, with 46 points in the paint. Another commanding stat appeared in the rebounding category, with the Tigers out-rebounding their opponent 47 to 22.
Edited by Chase Gemes | cgemes@themaneater.com
Copy edited by Sterling Sewell | ssewell@themaneater.com