Missouri, Howard eye first win after tough openers

After falling short in an upset bid at Memphis, Missouri will try to rebound Friday night in its home opener against Howard.

The Tigers (0-1) led by 13 in the second half Monday before fading in an 83-75 loss at Memphis. They faltered in the face of full-court pressure.

"Memphis wasn't pressing in the first half as much as they were in the second," Missouri coach Dennis Gates said. "That's the difference. It was two different games."

Anthony Robinson II led Missouri with 16 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals.

After averaging just 13.3 minutes per game as a freshman, Robinson will play a major role this season as the Tigers try to improve on their 8-24 finish in 2023-24.

Two other Tigers who played minor roles last season, Aidan Shaw and Trent Pierce, excelled at Memphis. Pierce scored 13 points in 14 minutes and Shaw had 11 points in 17 minutes.

"With Trent and Aidan, they came out and did their thing," Robinson said. "You know, they put in hard work in the summer and I'm proud of them. We've all been grinding summer."

Howard (0-1) won 40 games the past two seasons, including consecutive MEAC tourneys to earn NCAA Tournament bids.

The Bison embrace big nonconference challenges to prepare them for league play.

"We have a lot of high expectations for this program," said Bryce Harris, the MEAC Preseason Player of the Year. "We must focus on details and what we do best. The nonconference schedule will go a long way to helping us achieve our goals."

Howard opened its season with an 87-57 loss at No. 1 Kansas on Monday. The Bison shot 7-for-29 from the floor while falling behind 46-19 at the half.

Blake Harper shot 3-for-3 from 3-point range and led the Bison with 16 points in his collegiate debut. Harris, who averaged 16.6 points and 7.5 rebounds last season, grabbed six boards but was held to four points.

--Field Level Media