University of Missouri
4-1,0-0SEC
Pacific
3-4,0-0WCC
Men’s Basketball Cruises Past Pacific, 91-56
11/22/2024 9:34:00 PM | Men's Basketball
COLUMBIA, Mo. - University of Missouri men's basketball cruised to a 91-56 win over Pacific Friday night, marking the Tigers' fourth-straight victory at Mizzou Arena before 9,564 spectators.
MIZZOU LEADERS
Graduate Caleb Grill notched 25 for the Tigers, including seven triples, accounting for half of the team's made 3-pointers. Senior Tamar Bates added 11 points with sophomore Trent Pierce also scoring in double-digits with 10.
Josh Gray added seven points and a team-best seven boards, while Marques Warrick leading Mizzou with five assists.
GAME RECAP
Missouri responded to an early run by Pacific with a 15-2 spurt of their own and once the game hit the 14-minute mark, Missouri never looked back. The MU run was capped off by a Warrick triple off a timely dish from Bates for an 11-9 Mizzou lead.
Gray knocked in the first 3-pointer of his career with 8:36 remaining in the first half to stretch the Mizzou advantage to 12, 27-15.
Grill then took over for the Tigers, scoring 14 of the team's final 22 points in the first half, capping the run with triple at the buzzer to give Mizzou a 54-31 lead at the break. Overall, Grill finished with 19 first-half points on the back of 5-of-shooting from 3-point range.
Mizzou's offense continued humming to start the final 20 minutes, while also picking up its effort on the defensive end. Overall, MU outscored the visitors by 12 points in the second stanza en route to the 35-point victory.
TEAM STATS
Missouri shot 49.2 percent in the winning effort with a 14-of-30 clip (46.7 percent) from beyond the arc. Mizzou held Pacific to 37.3 percent from the field with a 6-of-29 mark from 3-point range.
Defensively, MU forced 14 turnovers in the contest, creating 24 points on the offensive end. The Mizzou bench also outscored the entire Pacific, 57-56.
UP NEXT
The Tigers welcome Arkansas-Pine Bluff to Mizzou Arena on Sunday, Nov. 24. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT on SEC Network +.
