In Missouri’s 99-44 win over Alabama A&M in the Tigers’ season opener Sunday night at Mizzou Arena, nine different Tigers played in the first half. Nine different Tigers scored in the first half.
It was the picture of a team effort.
The Tigers took a 49-20 advantage over the Bulldogs of Alabama A&M at halftime, buoyed by points from all of its players. Senior forward Russell Woods had 10 points and sophomore forward Kevin Puryear had eight rebounds in the first half.
Woods’ scoring was keyed by his 6-of-7 free-throw shooting. He shot just 39 percent from the line as a junior and worked on free throws with assistant coach Steve Shields during the offseason.
He credits his overall improvement from last season to this season to a high work ethic.
“I came into this year with a mindset that I have to work harder than everyone,” Woods said.
The Tigers stretched their lead further in the second half, pulling away even more from their opponent. The home team put up 49 points in the first half and 50 in the second half.
The Tigers did everything right against Alabama A&M, which came into Sunday night’s matchup ranked No. 349 of 351 Division I teams, according to kenpom.com. Mizzou, by comparison, was No. 164.
Alabama A&M shot just 26.7 percent on field goals and just 7.7 percent from beyond the three-point arc. While a lot of the Bulldogs’ struggles on offense could be attributed to poor shooting, Mizzou defended effectively, typically forcing Alabama A&M to take contested shots.
“We just made it hard for them to score,” head coach Kim Anderson said.
Conversely, Missouri shot 63.6 percent from the field and 50 percent from deep. Alabama A&M was unable to consistently contest the Tigers’ shots or deny their interior passes.
Mizzou freshman guard Frankie Hughes showed his willingness to pull the trigger. While he struggled from deep in the first half, he knocked down his first six shots of the second half — four threes, a dunk and a long jumper. He finished with 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting, going 4-of-9 from deep.
Hughes said that while he knew he was struggling to connect, he didn’t realize he was 0-for-4 at the time.
“I didn’t think much of it,” he said.
After the half, his shooting simply turned around.
“It was more of a mindset and mentality that I have to have and confidence that I have to have in myself,” Hughes said.
He has acclimated quickly, leading the team in scoring tonight and playing a key role in the secret scrimmage at Creighton and the exhibition game against Central Missouri.
“If it keeps coming around, I’m just going to keep knocking down shots,” Hughes said.
He and his high school teammate, freshman forward Willie Jackson, combined on two breakaway buckets in the first half. After an Alabama A&M turnover, Hughes lobbed it to Jackson for a dunk; 42 seconds later, after another steal by the Tigers, Jackson fed it to Hughes for a layup.
The new Tigers — Hughes, Jackson, junior-college transfer Jordan Geist and freshman forwards Mitchell Smith and Reed Nikko — impressed during their substantial playing time. The five combined to play 91 of 200 total minutes. Smith showed his athletic ability with a skillful and-one basket in the second half; Geist chipped in eight points on 3-of-4 shooting, including a made three-pointer. Jackson finished with 11 points and nine rebounds on 5-of-6 shooting.
The Tigers head next to Orlando, Florida for the Tire Pros Invitational, formerly known as the Puerto Rico Tip-Off but moved from the island due to concerns about the Zika virus. They will take on No. 7 Xavier (1-0), a team Missouri hung with last year on the road, at noon on Thursday.