University of Missouri
5-4
Elon
5-4
Mizzou Men's Basketball Turns Away Elon, 78-73
12/11/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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| Box Score 
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Mizzou Men's Basketball improved to 5-4 on the season thanks to a 78-73 win over Elon, Thursday night (Dec. 11). Mizzou's 46 first-half points came from an efficient 59-percent shooting effort. The number marked Mizzou's highest scoring half of basketball so far this season.
Head coach Kim Anderson's squad was also lights out from the charity stripe, the team made 80-percent of its foul shots, including a 9-of-9 effort from senior guard Keith Shamburger. Mizzou knocked down 24-of-40 free throws on the night, only missing one shot from the line in the second half.
Mizzou started the contest with three long balls in a row. Freshman guard Namon Wright connected on his first two three-point attempts, taking a 6-0 lead before Shamburger landed a deep triple to keep the Tiger lead at six (9-3) heading into the first media timeout at 15:17.
The Tigers stretched their lead in the first half with the help of freshman forward D'Angelo Allen. The Tiger newcomer scored his first points by landing two free throws at 9:46. After an Elon bucket, Allen answered right back with a mid-range jumper for a 22-13 lead with 9:00 left in the first half.
Mizzou ripped off a 7-0 run over a 1:20-minute span to seize a 15-point lead heading into the final five minutes of the first half. The Tigers kept their distance from the Phoenix to take a 46-27 halftime lead, outscoring Elon 7-2 to close the half. Three of those points came on a hard-nosed three-point play by Williams, III, who dropped in a bucket from under the rim through traffic to draw a foul at the 2:29 mark.
Defense was the recipe to help the Tigers finish the first half strongly, as Mizzou held Elon to just three field goals in the final nine and a half minutes of the opening period. The Phoenix shot 24.2-percent from the field (8-of-33) in the first half, and finished the game shooting just 36-percent overall.
Allen played a large role in Mizzou keeping control of the game in the second half, the freshman scored eight points after the break on outstanding 4-of-5 shooting from the field. Allen finished with a career-high 12 points along with seven boards.
The Phoenix took advantage of the second half, going on an 11-0 run with just over three minutes left to play. Elon's Luke Eddy knocked down two three-pointers in a row to bring the Phoenix within one. Elon's reserves were an important weapon for the team as the Phoenix scored 29 points off the pine in just the second half.
Mizzou was able to secure the win with a calm demeanor over the last few minutes of play. Shamburger and Montaque Gill-Caesar combined to make six consecutive free throws in the last 35 seconds of the game giving Mizzou the final lead of the night.
Mizzou has a quick turnaround this week as the Tigers host the Xavier Musketeers on Saturday, Dec. 13. The game is set for a 3 p.m. tipoff on ESPN2. Keep checking in to MUTigers.com for more information on Mizzou Men's Basketball. Fans can also follow the team on Twitter (@MizzouHoops).
