Missouri pulls away from Howard for first win

Tamar Bates scored 17 points and Mark Mitchell had 16 points and eight rebounds as the Missouri Tigers defeated the Howard Bison 77-62 Friday night in Columbia, Mo.

Anthony Robinson II added 13 points for the Tigers (1-1).

Bates hit 3-of-7 shots from 3-point range. The rest of the Tigers combined to shoot 0-for-15 from beyond the arc.

Missouri offset that by making 26 of 31 shots from the free-throw line and getting 42 points in the paint.

Marcus Dockery led the Bison (0-2) with 14 points and Bryce Harris added 11.

Howard hit 10 of 19 shots from 3-point range to keep the game close. The Bison cut their deficit to four points with 3:43 left before Missouri pulled away.

The Tigers never trailed in the game. They broke out to a 6-0 lead in the first 2:24.

The Bison didn't score until Ose Okojie hit two free throws 6:35 into the game.

Mitchell scored eight points in the first eight minutes for the Tigers. His alley-oop dunk in transition pushed Missouri's lead to 14-4.

Dockery rallied the Bison with a pair of 3-pointers as Howard cut its deficit to 18-14.

Missouri moved back out to a 31-19 lead when Marques Warrick converted a 3-point play off the drive to cap an 8-2 run. Bates hit a step-back 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer to give the Tigers a 40-28 lead at the break.

Aidan Shaw scored an alley-oop dunk off a fast break and scored another basket in the paint as Missouri scored six straight points to push to a 52-38 lead.

The Bison cut the Missouri lead to 61-57 with a 14-4 run fueled by a pair of Dockery 3-pointers. But the Tigers countered with a 13-2 run -- triggered by a steal and 3-point play by Robinson -- to finally put Howard away.

--Field Level Media