Keion Bell drives past a Bearcat defender. (Mizzou Athletics)
Mizzou basketball opened exhibition play with a 91-58 win over Division II’s Northwest Missouri State as the Tigers debuted their new look roster along with the return of a crowd favorite. Laurence Bowers got a standing ovation during team introductions. In his return from a major knee injury, Bowers scored 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting.
Newcomers Earnest Ross and Keion Bell combined for 42 points on 16-of-25 shooting. Ross connected on 6-of-10 shots from three-point range and Bell, a transfer from Pepperdine, drew a big roar from the crowd with just over five minutes to play when he drove the lane with a huge dunk. Alex Oriakhi just missed a double-double with eight points and 10 rebounds and junior Phil Pressey had a game-high 11 assists in 25 minutes.
Northwest Missouri was led by Alex Sullivan who scored 19 points on 5-of-9 shooting from three-point range. DeAngelo Hailey added 10 points.
Missouri concludes exhibition play on Sunday against Missouri Southern with the tip set for 2 p.m.
