VanLeer Drops 26 to Power @MizzouHoops to Second Italy Win
8/9/2016 5:19:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Mizzou defeated BC Silute, a Lithuanian professional club, by a score of 92-78
MONTECATINI TERME, Italy - Mizzou Men's Basketball received a standout performance from sophomore guard Cullen VanLeer (Pacific, Mo.), who shot 6-of-10 from three-point range on the way to 26 points in the Tigers' 92-78 win over BC Silute of Lithuania. VanLeer led the Tigers in scoring, with three other Tigers reaching double digits, in the win at the Pala Terme Sport Complex on Tuesday (Aug. 9).
Head coach Kim Anderson's squad improved to 2-0 on its foreign tour of Italy after an offensive battle with Silute, a professional club from Lithuania. Also in double figure-scoring for Mizzou were sophomore forward Kevin Puryear (Blue Springs, Mo.) at 16 points, and senior forward Russell Woods (Chicago, Ill.) and freshman forward Willie Jackson (Cleveland, Ohio), who both tallied 11 points.
"Cullen really shot the ball well tonight, which is great to see since we know how hard he works, day in and day out," Anderson said. "We played good team basketball against a tough Lithuanian squad, so spots were open for our guys to make plays. It was a fun game tonight that challenged us, which is definitely one of the reasons we scheduled BC Silute."
Jackson was impressive again for the Tigers, contributing a double-double performance with 10 rebounds. Jackson has averaged 14.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in Italy, thus far. Also matching him on the boards was sophomore guard Terrence Phillips (Orange County, Calif.), who posted an impressive stat line of six points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and six steals.
With the game knotted at 72-72 after the third quarter, Mizzou overpowered BC Silute down the stretch with a 20-6 scoring advantage in fourth quarter.
The Tigers continue their #ForzaMizzou trip on Wednesday, Aug. 10, with a tour of Florence. Mizzou next plays Vicenza Select on Friday, Aug. 12, with a 1:30 p.m. CT tipoff in Creazzo, Vicenza. The remaining game schedule is below:
- Game 3: Mizzou vs. Vicenza Select, Friday, August 12 (1:30 p.m. CT)
Location: Palazzetto dello Sport, Via Manzoni 1, Creazzo (Vicenza)
- Game 4: Mizzou vs. Kosovo National Team, Saturday, August 13 (11:30 a.m. CT)
Location: Palazzetto Scuole Elementari, Via Verdi, Costa Masnaga (Lecco)
For all the latest on Mizzou Men's Basketball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@MizzouHoops).
