University of Missouri Athletics

• Sophomore Mark Smith’s double-double in his Mizzou debut (19 points, 10 rebounds) was the first double-double recorded by a Mizzou newcomer in a season opener since Linas Kleiza posted a double-double in his debut against Oakland on November 29, 2003, a 90-85 Mizzou victory.
   
• Mizzou has now won five straight season openers, and also improved to 15-2 vs. Southland Conference opponents with tonight’s win.

• Mizzou opened the campaign with a victory at Mizzou Arena after posting a 13-3 record at home last season.

• With the win, the Tigers improve to 91-22 in season openers and have won 24 of its last 27 such games.

• Mizzou freshman guard Javon Pickett (Belleville, III.) scored his first collegiate basket on his first attempt, drilling a triple from the left corner to give Mizzou an early 3-2 advantage.

• Freshman guard Torrence Watson (St. Louis, Mo.) recorded his first points as a Tiger after knocking down a three-pointer late in the first half.

• Smith set a career high in attempted three-pointers with eight and also set a career high in three-pointers made with five. His previous best was four three-pointers against UNLV on Dec. 9, 2017.

• Smith surpassed his previous career high of three rebounds by more than tripling that number with 10 rebounds in his first game in a Tiger uniform.

• Freshman guard Xavier Pinson (Chicago, Ill.) scored his first collegiate points with a layup at 14 minutes remaining in the second half.

• Redshirt sophomore Mitchell Smith (Van Buren, Ark.) scored six points in Mizzou’s victory, scoring his first points Dec. 29, 2016 against Lipscomb after returning to the court for his first game back since suffering a knee injury on Jan. 4, 2017.

• Senior Kevin Puryear collected 10 or more rebounds for the fourth time in his career.