COLUMBIA, Mo. - Mizzou Men's Basketball (9-16, 2-10) dominated play inside the paint in a 75-64 victory over Tennessee (12-13, 5-7) Saturday at Mizzou Arena. The game was Mizzou Athletics' first-ever #RallyForRhyan Game, organized in support of assistant coach Brad Loos' 5-year-old daughter, Rhyan, and her ongoing fight against neuroblastoma.
Senior forward Ryan Rosburg (Chesterfield, Mo.) led the way with 21 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the field, while freshman forward Kevin Puryear (Blue Springs, Mo.) added 17 points. As a team, the Tigers outscored the Volunteers 30-18 in the paint and outrebounded Tennessee 41-26.
Rosburg's performance was his second-straight game of 20 or more points and third-straight in double digits. Over his last three games, Rosburg is averaging 20.7 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. Sophomore guard Namon Wright (Los Angeles, Calif.) was the third Tiger to score in double digits, recording 13, none quite as big as a thunderous dunk in the second half following a steal on the defensive side of the floor with 6:19 left. The dunk pushed the Tigers' lead to 11, and provided a huge boost of momentum late in the game. Freshman guard Terrence Phillips (Orange County, Calif.) led the team in rebounds for the first time this season, pulling down a season-high seven boards.
The Tigers started out the first half sinking seven of its first nine shots from the field. The hot start was spearheaded by a two three-pointers from Wright, and three inside buckets from Rosburg. Puryear added a pair of jump shots to build a 17-8 lead 5:32 into the game.
Mizzou was able to carry the momentum heading into halftime thanks to the free throw shooting of Rosburg. He ended the first half leading all scorers with 12 points, four of which came from the charity stripe. As a team, the Tigers went 13-of-18 (72.2%) from the line in the opening period, leading 38-27 at the break.
Plenty of defensive stops and excellent shot selection was the key in the second half as Mizzou shot 56.5 percent from the field (13-of-23) after the break. The Volunteers cut the lead to four points with 1:25 remaining, but solid free throw shooting was able to propel the Tigers to an 11-point victory. Mizzou improved to a perfect 9-0 when leading after halftime.
Game donations and special #RallyForRhyan t-shirt sales raised over $50,000 for pediatric cancer research as part of the #RallyForRhyan event. Read more here.
The Tigers take to Norm Stewart Court again on Tuesday, Feb. 16, against South Carolina. Mizzou hosts the Gamecocks at Mizzou Arena starting at 6 p.m. and the contest be televised on the SEC Network.
