Trent Pierce, Missouri too strong for Long Island

Trent Pierce came off the bench to score a career-high 24 points and lead Missouri past Long Island 88-61 on Saturday in Columbia, Mo.

Marques Warrick scored 16 points off the bench and Mark Mitchell had 15 to go along with seven rebounds and five assists for the Tigers (9-1).

Missouri made 14 of its 28 shots from 3-point range and connected on 56.4 percent of its field goal attempts overall. The Tigers led for all but 2:55 of the game.

Missouri deployed 13 players and scored 53 bench points while wearing down the Sharks (4-9).

Malachi Davis scored 12 points in 21 minutes for the Sharks before fouling out. Terell Strickland and Jalen Lee each added 11 points for Long Island.

The teams traded baskets for the first 4:31 of the game. Missouri then used a zone defense to frustrate Long Island and trigger a 14-0 run.

Aidan Shaw and Warrick each hit a corner 3-pointer to get the Tigers rolling offensively.

The Sharks stabilized with second-chance baskets by Xinyi Li and Jason Steele off offensive rebounds. But Pierce scored seven unanswered points -- on a 4-point play and a 3-point jumper -- to spark Missouri's 12-2 surge.

Missouri built a 45-24 halftime lead by hitting 7-of-14 shots from 3-point range and shooting 58.0 percent from the floor overall. Long Island missed 11-of-13 shots from beyond the arc in the first half and turned the ball over eight times.

The Sharks picked up their defensive pressure to start the second half and forced four quick turnovers. Strickland, Malachi Davis and Brent Davis scored fast-break baskets during an 8-0 run.

After their lead shrunk to 52-35, the Tigers scored 12 unanswered points to end any hope of a Long Island comeback. Two driving baskets by Mitchell and a transition 3-pointer by Warrick fueled that clinching stretch.

--Field Level Media