The Mizzou men’s basketball team wrapped up exhibition play with a 77-54 victory over UMSL Saturday afternoon at Mizzou Arena. Freshman Montaque Gill-Caesar paced the Tigers with a game-high 19 points and Jonathan Williams recorded a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

After holding a five-point lead at halftime, Mizzou pulled away down the stretch by attacking down low and getting to the free throw line. The Tigers outscored UMSL 34-8 in the paint for the game and cashed in at the charity stripe, converting 13-of-17 as a team.

On the defensive end, Mizzou posted eight total blocks and prevented the Tritons from getting many second chance opportunities. In the second half, the Tigers limited UMSL to just one offensive rebound and held a 22-10 advantage on the glass.

Mizzou countered a slow start from the field with a 16-3 run midway through the first frame. Following a long three-pointer from sophomore Wes Clark, Gill-Caesar tossed in back-to-back buckets to pull within five, 26-21. The Tigers then turned to Williams III, who earned a trip to the free throw line on three consecutive possessions and made five-of-six. On the final possession of the first half, Williams III stepped outside and knocked down a deep trey to hand Mizzou a 39-34 lead at the break.

In the second half, the Tigers consistently found ways to get to the rim and score easy buckets. Junior forward Ryan Rosburg worked in the paint for a basket twice in the opening minute to set the tone. Two possessions later, Gill-Caesar yanked down an offensive rebound and made a put back layup in traffic and the Tigers never looked back.

At the 10:09 mark, Keith Shamburger dished an extra pass on the perimeter to set up freshman Tramaine Isabell for a corner three. Shamburger then scored on back-to-back possessions with a jumper and trey of his own. The senior put an exclamation point on the Tigers’ big second half with a nifty alley-oop pass to Deuce Bello, who threw down a ferocious dunk. Shamburger finished his all-around performance with 13 points, six rebounds and six assists.

With exhibition play in the books, the Kim Anderson head-coaching era will officially begin as Mizzou opens up the regular season next Friday, Nov. 14. The Tigers will take on UMKC at Mizzou Arena. Tip off is slated for 8 p.m.

— MU Sports Information —