Wes Clark hit a three in front of a home crowd to open the last game of nonconference play. Little did he know he was on his way to a career night.
Just two games prior in the “Braggin’ Rights” game game against Illinois, Clark totaled 21 points, a career high. On Saturday against Savannah State, the 6-foot-0 junior bested that number, scoring 22 points on 9-10 shooting as the Missouri Tigers knocked off the opposing Tigers, 81-50.
“I think every team would like to have that guy who, when stuff isn’t working, you can give the ball to them and they can make a play,” coach Kim Anderson said postgame in the news release. “Wes has done that these last two to three games. It’s certainly a big boost to us. I’m glad to see him have success.”
In front of 6,037 fans, Clark put on a show but was aided by his teammates. Both freshman guard KJ Walton and sophomore guard Namon Wright added double-digit performances scoring 10 and 11 points, respectively.
Not only did Wright score, but he also added a team-high 8 rebounds. Although this number might seem foreign to some, Wright at 6-foot-4 is the team’s leading rebounder averaging 4.8 per game, something that impressed Anderson.
“I’ve been playing a little more of the three guard position,” Wright said. “I get to crash the offensive boards a little more. It’s all about effort and staying cognizant.”
Anderson added: “He’s a guy who’s a really good rebounder. He has worked hard to get better defensively and to get better with the ball. His passing is better. He has expanded his game from a year ago. I think a year ago we would all say Namon was a shooter. Now he can take the ball to the basket.”
Missouri’s early success from the field led to a 41-25 halftime lead, and with their play in the second half, Mizzou emerged with the victory.
Last year at this point, Missouri boasted a 6-7 record. This year, they’re 7-6. Improvement? One could say that.
“I’m happy that we won seven games and beat everybody on paper that we were supposed to beat — not everybody has done that,” Anderson said. “I’m disappointed though that we didn’t win some of those other games that we had a chance to win in. It’s a whole new season now.”
Missouri will be back in action 6 p.m. Jan. 6 at Georgia to take on the Bulldogs in their SEC opener on the SEC Network.