There weren’t many Mizzou fans who battled the snowy roads to make it to Mizzou on Sunday afternoon, but many listening on radio or watching on TV got a glimpse of what the Tigers can do when they hit their outside shots. Behind 23 points from Mark Smith on 8 of 11 shooting including 7 for 9 from three-point range, the Tigers used a strong first half and stiff defense to turn back Southern Illinois 64-48.
As a team the Tiger shot 35% from long range and almost 46% from the field while holding the Salukis to under 30% and 16 turnovers while out-rebounding SIU 37-21.
After trailing 5-4 just under six minutes into the game, the Tigers lit up from the outside as Smith made four straight three-pointers to turn a 9-9 game into a 21-9 advantage. Smith extended the lead to 16 with another three-pointer with just over 17 minutes to play giving Mizzou a 38-22 lead and gave the Tigers their biggest lead at 26 with his final three-pointer with just over seven to play. The Tigers improve to 6-4 and 5-1 at home.
