The Missouri defense held the Golden Lions to without a field goal for over 12 minutes in the first half.

With a five-game winning streak on the line, the Missouri Tigers took care of business against the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions with an emphatic 112-63 victory. Missouri had 10 different players score in the game.

Mizzou had put together two efficient performances in a row against Mississippi Valley State and Pacific, but Pine Bluff looked to be ready to hang with the Tigers despite the logo on the court. After some early threes from the Golden Lions they were able to keep Mizzou within one in the early going of the first half.

Head coach Dennis Gates’ crew made a living off of second chance points in the beginning, picking up 9 of their first 19 points by that method. With 88% of UAPB’s scoring coming from transfers and freshmen, their unfamiliarity led to a lot of open opportunities in the offensive rebounding game.

A noticeable factor in this game was the Tigers tight defense, as they made sure every shot the Golden Lions put up was tightly contested. The defending was so tight, that Pine Bluff went under an over 12-minute period in the first half without a field goal. During this time frame, Missouri kept forcing turnovers and scoring in transition to make the lead unsurmountable by halftime.

Gates’ group didn’t shoot lights out in the first half, they were a mere 17-35 and 4-17 from three-point range. However, something last years team didn’t do that this team has been getting better at is drawing fouls. The Tigers attempted 15 free throws in the first half and made 11 of them which was key to their comfortable cushion. They finished with 41 attempts and 29 makes.

Anthony Robinson II had his best all around game as a Tiger, again playing extended minutes as Tony Perkins works to get his legs back. Robinson picked up a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

A commanding 27-point lead at halftime meant Missouri needed to keep it simple in the second half. The Tigers are looking to shake off the bad second half reputation prior to conference play.

Mark Mitchell scored 14 points in the first half with the majority of them in the paint. Mitchell’s aggressive play at the rim combined with Caleb Grill’s prowess from beyond the arc and Tamar Bates’ ability to win in transition made for a trio Mizzou fans have been dying to see perform since the season began. Mitchell, Grill, and Bates finished with 47 of Missouri’s 112 points.

Gates has preached about a good assist-to-turnover ratio all season, and Missouri distributed the ball all night with 15 assists and to just eight turnovers.

MU prides themselves on their depth, and the depth was in play as constant rotations of players were being brought in while the Golden Lions were limited playing just 9 players. Missouri only had three players with a negative plus/minus the whole night, and they all played when the game was well out of reach. In addition to that, Missouri got more points from their bench tonight as they got 63 to the starters’ 49, increasing their D1-leading 47 points per game from bench players.

The blowout win is impressive but an important asterisk for it is that UAPB is 0-6 now against D1 opponents, with their only win coming against Champion Christian College. Every single D1 opponent they have played has blown them out, but it’s nice to see that Missouri isn’t in the outlier of teams that haven’t.

Missouri hit the 100 point mark with 3:50 left in the game. It’s their second 100+ point game of the season, a feat they only achieved one time last season which was in the season opener against none other than Arkansas Pine Bluff.

Overall, Missouri shot 52% from the field and 28% from three-point land. In stark contrast, UAPB shot 35.5% and an 32.1% from beyond the arc. Missouri outrebounded the Golden Lions 50-32 while the visitors had 19 turnovers to the Tigers’ 8.

The Tigers will get a couple days rest before they host Lindenwood on Wednesday Nov. 27 at 5:30 PM CST.