Mizzou Men’s Basketball used a hot second half to down a stingy Liberty squad, 69-60, on Wednesday night at Mizzou Arena. The Tigers are 4-0, winning those contests by an average margin of 13.5 points per game to launch the season.
Mizzou outpaced the Flames, 41-28, in the second half and used a dominant 19-4 run midway through the frame to pull ahead by 13. Liberty couldn’t pull within fewer than nine the rest of the way as Mizzou’s defense shut down the Flames in the final minutes.
Senior guards Mark Smith and Dru Smith led Mizzou with 31 combined points. Mark led all scorers with 17 points on 5-of-12 shooting. The reigning SEC Player of the Week has scored at least 15 points in every game this season, shooting a ridiculous 52 percent from beyond the arc through four games.
Dru chipped in 14 points and junior Xavier Pinson added 12 points, seven boards and three assists.
Senior Jeremiah Tilmon controlled the paint with eight points and nine rebounds, helping Mizzou outrebound Liberty, 39-23. Mizzou grabbed 10 offensive boards and finished with 11 second-chance points.