LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Jack Gibbs scored 25 points and Peyton Aldridge added 21 points and seven rebounds to help lift Davidson to 70-55 win over Missouri in a losers’ bracket game of the Tire Pros Invitational on Friday.

The Wildcats (2-1) bounced back from a deflating loss to Clemson on Thursday with an overwhelming performance against Missouri. Sparked by its 3-point shooting, Davidson jumped out to a 17-point lead early in the first half and never looked back.

“This is a challenging tournament and we accepted the opportunity to come here because we wanted to be pushed, we wanted to be challenged, we wanted to find out how good we are,” said Davidson coach Bob McKillop. “Certainly these two games, Clemson and Missouri exposed our strengths, exposed our weaknesses and gave us the opportunity to get better.”

Missouri, coming off an overtime loss to No.11 Xavier a day earlier, made runs late in the first and second halves but could not an offensive flow to keep up with Davidson.

Davidson converted 44 percent from the field and 10 of 30 3-point attempts. Missouri made just 3 of 16 3-pointers.

Forward Kevin Puryear led the Tigers with 12 points and six rebounds while Cullen Vanleer added 11 points and Reed Nikko came off the bench to contribute 10 points.

The Wildcats set the tone early by hitting five of their first eight 3-point attempts to take 26-9 lead in the opening eight minutes. Four different Davidson players drained 3-pointers during that run. Gibbs converted two 3-pointers to give the Wildcats a lift.

Missouri (1-2) pulled within seven points of the lead late in the first half. But Davidson put together a 9-0 run as the Tigers went scoreless the final 4:30 of the half and went into halftime trailing 37-23.

“We harped on defensive intensity last night and this morning because we didn’t play well defensively as a team or individually,” Gibbs said. “As a unit we were in position better than we were against Clemson. That was one of the main things because if they’re making shots, it’s tough to get our offense going when you have to grab it off the rim. That makes our offense go.”

BIG PICTURE

Davidson: The Wildcats are streaky shooters but when on they can put a lot of points in hurry. They hit six of their first eight 3-point attempts to jump out to a 17-point lead in the first eight minutes and never looked back. Gibbs was outstanding throughout much of the game as was Aldridge. The score could have been even more lopsided had the Wildcats not had a long stretches of time where either they couldn’t score or they were careless with the ball.

Missouri: After losing to No.11 Xavier by one point in overtime Thursday, the Tigers came out flat against Davidson and never recovered. Leading scorer Frankie Hughes was silent much of the game, going 1 for 11 for two points and three turnovers. Sophomore guard Terrence Phillips, who played brilliantly in the loss to Xavier didn’t have a field goal and finished with one point.

UP NEXT

Davidson: The Wildcats will take on the winner of the Arizona State-Tulane game in the fifth-place game of the Tire Pros Invitational on Sunday.

Missouri: The Tigers will meet the loser of the Arizona State-Tulane game in the seventh-place game of the Invitational on Sunday.

— Associated Press —

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The play J.P. Macura made with 1.7 seconds left won’t show up in any boxscore, and certainly won’t appear in any highlight video.

But it helped No. 11 Xavier escape and remain unbeaten.

Edmond Sumner’s free throw with 0.3 seconds left in overtime gave the Musketeers an 83-82 win over Missouri in the opening round of the Tire Pros Invitational on Thursday. He was fouled after Xavier inbounded near midcourt, after a heady timeout that Macura called to give his team a chance to set something up at the end.

“He understands time and score and puts himself in positions to make hustle plays and plays that determine the outcome of a game,” Xavier coach Chris Mack said. “It doesn’t surprise me that he had presence of mind to call timeout that quickly.”

Sumner was fouled by Missouri’s Terrence Phillips as both went for the ball along the sideline on the deciding play. He missed the first one short, then rattled in the second for the win.

“I decided to call timeout because I didn’t want us to just fire up a halfcourt shot,” Macura said. “I thought we’d have better chances of making a shot if we got a timeout.”

He was right, and the Musketeers — who won a tournament at the Disney complex last year — are now in the semifinals of this event. Sumner and Macura each scored 19 points for Xavier, which got 13 apiece from Trevon Bluiett and Sean O’Mara.

Frankie Hughes scored 24 points for Missouri (1-1), and Kevin Puryear finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Phillips scored seven of his 21 points in overtime for Missouri, which never got off a desperation shot after Sumner’s deciding free throw.

“I think he was just being aggressive,” Missouri coach Kim Anderson said. “I’m sure he’d love to take it back, but you know what? He made a lot of great plays to get us to where we were, so if it wasn’t for that it wouldn’t come down to that play.”

Missouri led by 10 in the first half and held the lead most of the second half, but needed to scramble both late in regulation and then from an early five-point deficit in overtime. Missouri went on a 7-0 run late to grab the lead, but Macura made two free throws with 17.8 seconds remaining to tie the game for the 15th and final time.

“A great basketball game, first of all,” Anderson said. “I thought our guys did a lot of great things and played one of the top 10 or 15 teams in the country toe-to-toe.”

BIG PICTURE

Xavier: It was the second time in three games that the Musketeers were put to the test — they beat Lehigh 84-81 to open the season last week. … Xavier missed its last 12 3-pointers, shooting 2 for 22 in the game from long range.

Missouri: Hughes is averaging 23.5 points after two games. Only 10 Missouri players have managed to go their entire freshman season averaging more than 10 points. … The Tigers were outrebounded 52-39.

HELLO, AGAIN

This is the third straight season that Xavier and Missouri have played.

Xavier won 74-58 at Missouri on Dec. 13, 2014, in the start of what was going to be a two-game series, and prevailed again at home 78-66 exactly one year before this meeting — Nov. 17, 2015.

Missouri will be in that position with another non-conference foe later this season, when it meets Arizona for the third consecutive year.

UP NEXT

Xavier: Faces Clemson in the tournament semifinals Friday.

Missouri: Faces Davidson in the consolation semifinals Friday.

— Associated Press —

SEATTLE (AP) — Kelsey Plum scored 32 points, moving into third-place on the Pac-12’s all-time scoring list, and No. 17 Washington advanced to the finals of the Preseason WNIT with a 79-66 win over No. 25 Missouri on Thursday night.

Plum scored 18 points in the first half, but it was a decisive third quarter that allowed Washington (3-0) to pull away. The Huskies outscored Missouri 24-15 in the third quarter and led by as many as 22 in the fourth.

Plum was 10-of-23 shooting and moved past former Stanford star Nnemkadi Ogwumike on the conference’s scoring list.

Chantel Osahor added 18 points, while Natalie Romeo and Heather Corral had 12 each. Washington will face to No. 1 Notre Dame on Sunday in South Bend in the championship game.

Cierra Porter, the daughter of Washington men’s assistant coach Michael Porter, led Missouri (2-1) with 16 points and Lindsey Cunningham added 14.

— Associated Press —

LINCOLN, Neb. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball earned a dominant 55-35 road victory at Nebraska on Monday night. Mizzou used a 23-2 first-half run to build a lead it would never surrender as the Tigers punched their ticket to Thursday’s Preseason WNIT Semifinals.

Nebraska’s 35 points on Monday matched the fewest the Huskers have scored in a game as an NCAA program, with the last time coming in 1975. Mizzou’s blue-collar defense has allowed just 40.5 points per contest through the first two games of the 2016-17 campaign.

Mizzou’s triumph on Monday at Pinnacle Bank Arena marked the first win for the Tigers at Nebraska since Feb. 17, 2007. Mizzou’s 20-point win was the Tigers’ largest margin of victory over their former Big 12 rivals since 2003.

Senior Sierra Michealis (Mercer, Mo.) and sophomore Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) poured in 18 points each to lead Mizzou. Michaelis buried four three-pointers and is now tied for fourth in career treys among active players in the SEC with 121 career trifectas. Cunningham added 10 rebounds to secure her fifth career double-double. She’s now scored in double figures in seven of her last eight games.

Sophomore forward Cierra Porter (Columbia, Mo.) also helped on the glass as Mizzou outrebounded Nebraska, 49-39. Porter corralled 10 rebounds and posted 10 points, tallying double-doubles in back-to-back games for the first time in her career after a 12-rebound, 10-point performance in the season-opening win over Abilene Christian.

Trailing 9-7 less than six minutes into the game, Mizzou caught fire and ended the opening quarter on a 9-0 run, highlighted by three-pointers from redshirt senior Lianna Doty (St. Louis, Mo.) and Michaelis. Mizzou went on to hold Nebraska scoreless for 7:58 of game clock during a convincing run that saw the Tigers grab a 23-9 lead. After another trey and a reverse layup from Michaelis and freshman guard Jordan Chavis’ first career bucket, Mizzou held a 30-13 advantage. The Tigers eventually took a 14-point lead into halftime.

Mizzou’s defense continued to stifle the Huskers in the second half as the Tigers held Nebraska to just four made field goals over the final 20 minutes. Cunningham scored 10 second-half points to help Mizzou maintain its commanding lead down the stretch. Her back-to-back driving layups handed Mizzou a 20-point edge with 3:04 remaining as head coach Robin Pingeton’s squad began the year 2-0 for the sixth consecutive season.

Mizzou now awaits the winner of the Washington-Colorado State quarterfinal game. The Preseason WNIT Semifinals are set for Thursday, Nov. 17, with location and game times yet to be determined by tournament officials.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Football standout DE Charles Harris (Kansas City, Mo.) earned SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week following a monster performance in a 26-17 Mizzou win over Vanderbilt last Saturday (Nov. 12). Harris was disruptive in the Commodore backfield throughout the entire game, starting with a sack on the opening series. He finished with a career-high nine tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble and two QB hurries.

Monday’s honor is the first SEC weekly honor for Harris despite being an All-SEC honoree last year and a preseason honoree this year. Harris has been on an absolute tear over the last two games, posting 17 total tackles (10 solo), 5.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, a forced fumble and two QB hurries.

Harris’ 2.5 sacks last weekend against Vanderbilt moved his career total to 17.0, tied for eighth on Mizzou’s all-time career list. He now has 8.0 sacks on the season with all of them coming in SEC games, including three games with multiple sacks.

Harris and the Tigers hit the road to Rocky Top this weekend for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff against Tennessee (7-3, 3-3 SEC) at Neyland Stadium.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Frankie Hughes scored 23 points, Willie Jackson added 11 with nine rebounds and Missouri beat Alabama A&M 99-44 on Sunday night.

Hughes made 9 of 14 field goals, including four 3-pointers, and tied the Missouri (1-0) record for points in a freshman debut. Russell Woods added 12 points.

De’Ederick Petty led Alabama A&M with 13 points.

The Bulldogs (0-2) missed their first 12 shots as Missouri jumped to an 11-2 lead. By halftime, the Tigers led 49-20 as Alabama A&M shot 8 for 35 in the half.

Missouri hit 8 of 16 from 3-point range and outrebounded the Bulldogs 43-29. The Tigers scored 48 points in the paint and took advantage of nearly AAMU miscue, scoring 25 points off 15 Bulldog turnovers.

BIG PICTURE

It was Missouri’s highest scoring output since Dec. 17, 2012 when they defeated South Carolina State 102-51. Starters Kevin Puryear and Terrence Phillips saw limited action in light of the deficit. Puryear had seven points and nine rebounds in just 15 minutes, and Phillips added seven points, five assists and three rebounds in 17 minutes.

UP NEXT

Alabama A&M visits Tennessee Tech Thursday in the first ever meeting between the schools.

Missouri travels to Orlando to face No. 7 Xavier in the Tire Pros Invitational at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. The Musketeers defeated the Tigers 78-66 last season in Cincinnati.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri coach Barry Odom has finally reached a milestone that eluded him for months.

Drew Lock completed 22 of 37 passes for 294 yards and two touchdowns as Missouri defeated Vanderbilt 26-17 Saturday, marking Odom’s first Southeastern Conference win.

It marks Missouri’s first SEC victory since Lock’s starting debut, a 24-10 victory over South Carolina on Oct. 3, 2015.

“I’m happy for our seniors and happy for our team,” said Odom, who played linebacker for Missouri from 1996-99. “They’ve invested a lot and it hasn’t been pretty, but they continue to do everything that I’ve asked them to do. I’m glad they finally got a little bit of success for working through that.”

Each team opened with a three-and-out before Damarea Crockett’s 6-yard touchdown run gave Missouri (3-7, 1-5) a lead it would never relinquish. Crockett had 20 carries for 154 yards and the touchdown.

“He’s got a bright future,” Odom said of Crockett. “We blocked well from the point of attack and Damarea, for a freshman, he’s gotten better every week. He works that way in practice.”

J’Mon Moore caught eight passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns, including an 82-yard score with 9:50 remaining in the second quarter, and Johnathon Johnson added four catches for 73 yards.

Kyle Shurmur was 17 of 29 for 252 yards and two interceptions, one of which Missouri cornerback Aarion Penton returned 19 yards for a touchdown, the second of his career.

“I knew I had safety help, so I could go ahead and be aggressive on any underneath routes,” Penton said in describing the interception. “I just used my keys, saw the three-step read, saw that the receivert was running a slant, and I just stepped in front of him and made a play.”

C.J. Duncan caught five passes for 89 yards and Caleb Scott had three catches for 63 yards.

Darius Sims rushed seven times for 86 yards, Khari Blasingame had 14 carries for 64 yards and a touchdown, and Ralph Webb added 11 carries for 34 yards and a touchdown.

Missouri gained 481 yards despite a 13-minute differential in time of possession. It’s the Tigers’ highest yardage total in SEC play since Nov. 15, 2014 when they gained 587 yards en route to a 34-27 victory over Texas A&M.

Vanderbilt (4-6, 1-5) punted three times in the fourth quarter and was held to -14 yards.

Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason said his team struggled to get defensive stops for multiple reasons.

“I think it was a combination of rush and coverage,” said Mason, who also serves as defensive coordinator for the Commodores. “To be honest, a couple of times they made some good throws versus tight coverage. A couple of times the coverage didn’t necessarily finish in the way we’re supposed to, and the pass rush didn’t get home. That’s something I’m going to have to get back, look at, and fix quickly because we need to move on.”

KICKING CONUNDRUM

Missouri missed out on at least eight points due to place-kicking issues. Freshman Tucker McCann missed back-to-back extra point attempts in the first half before missing field goal attempts from 55 and 21 yards. Following a 4-yard touchdown pass from Lock to Moore with 8:39 remaining, Odom called on Ben Tesson, who drilled the attempt, giving the Tigers a two-score lead.

TAKEAWAYS

Vanderbilt: The Commodores struggled on third down, converting on just 3 of 14 attempts, while also failing their only fourth down conversion attempt. Missouri converted 10 of 19 third down attempts, including 7 of 11 in the second half.

“That’s on us as players,” Shurmur said of Vanderbilt’s third down struggles. “The coaches had a great game plan, put us in a great positon the whole entire week, and it’s on us as players to do better on third down especially.”

Missouri: The Tigers brought the pressure defensively, racking up six sacks and nine tackles for losses. Charles Harris made eight tackles -three of them for losses — 2 1/2 sacks and a forced fumble, and Marcell Frazier added 1 1/2. Vanderbilt amassed 411 yards, the lowest opponent yardage total Missouri’s defense has allowed in six games.

UP NEXT

Vanderbilt: The Commodores host Ole Miss (4-5, 1-4 SEC) next Saturday. The Rebels defeated Vanderbilt 27-16 last season in Oxford.

Missouri: The Tigers visit Tennessee (7-3, 3-3 SEC) next Saturday. The Volunteers defeated Missouri 19-8 last season in Columbia.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball kicked off its season with a 52-46 win over Abilene Christian on Friday night at Mizzou Arena. The Tigers’ stout defense forced 22 turnovers and held Abilene Christian to 28.8-percent shooting from the field. Mizzou now advances to the next round of the Preseason WNIT. Opponent and location of the Tigers’ next contest will be determined at a later date.

Mizzou was led by sophomore forward Cierra Porter (Columbia, Mo.) who hauled in a career-high 12 rebounds while recording her second career double-double. Porter was efficient from the field as she racked up 10 points behind a 4-for-5 effort from the field.

Porter’s big night led four Tigers in double digits. Redshirt senior guard Lianna Doty (St. Louis, Mo.) had a career-high seven steals and chipped in 12 points. Sophomore guard Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) posted a team-high 13 points while senior guard Sierra Michaelis (Mercer, Mo.) posted 11 points, scoring all of them in the fourth quarter.

Freshman Amber Smith (Shreveport, La.) made a significant impact in her first career start as she pulled in seven rebounds and added four points and a blocked shot.

After Abilene Christian jumped out to a quick lead to start the game, head coach Robin Pingeton’s squad bounced back and cut the deficit to one by the end of the first quarter. Porter and Doty both had five points in the period.

Mizzou grabbed its first lead of the game on a Cunningham layup with 5:28 left in the second quarter. Doty followed with a driving layup and a rhythm three-pointer on back-to-back possessions to cap a 10-0 Mizzou run that handed the Tigers a 25-18 advantage. Defensively, the Tigers stifled the Wildcat offense, allowing just five second-quarter points on 2-of-19 shooting. Mizzou went into halftime with a 25-21 lead.

After a tightly contested third quarter, Mizzou’s offense came out firing early in the fourth as the Tigers converted on their first four field goal attempts. The stretch was fueled by Michaelis, whose clutch trey with 7:08 remaining put her squad in front, 40-36. Less than two minutes later, Doty forced a turnover and went coast-to-coast for a bucket to extend Mizzou’s lead. The Tigers rattled off an 11-0 run that proved to be the difference down the stretch.

With less than two minutes left, Michaelis collected another steal in the Wildcats’ backcourt and converted a layup to push Mizzou ahead, 50-43. Mizzou sealed the win in the final minute to earn its first victory of the 2016-17 campaign and improve to 35-8 all-time in season-opening games.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball head coach Robin Pingeton announced a trio of signings for the program’s 2017 recruiting class. Future Tigers Elle Brown (Columbia, Mo.), Nadia Green (Homewood, Ill.) and Kelsey Winfrey (Lebanon, Mo.) all inked National Letters of Intent to play for Mizzou on Wednesday.

“We are really excited to have Elle, Nadia, and Kelsey join our basketball family,” Pingeton said. “They are athletic and talented perimeter players that all bring their own unique skill set.  Not only have they had great success on the court but they are also high character young ladies that will excel in the classroom and be great representatives of our women’s basketball program.”

Brown will continue the program’s tradition of featuring homegrown talent. The 5-foot-11 guard is the daughter of former Mizzou Track & Field All-American and U.S. Olympian, Natasha Brown, and Assistant Athletic Director for the Mizzou Made program, Brian Brown. Elle transferred to Rock Bridge High School for her senior season after three years as a standout at Johnston High School in Iowa.

At Johnston, Brown captained the Dragons to 52 wins over three seasons. As a junior, she averaged 11.9 points per game and steered her squad to a school-record 22 wins. Johnston spent much of the season ranked No. 1 in Class 5A and eventually earned a state runner-up finish. Brown was also a three-time Iowa state championships qualifier in track and field and holds school records in the 400-meter sprint and sprint medley relay.

Brown chose Mizzou over Wisconsin, Iowa and Iowa State, among others. She plans to pursue a degree in textile and apparel management at Mizzou.

Green is a versatile guard from the Chicago area with the ability to play multiple positions. A 5-foot-9 guard, Green averaged 15.0 points and 6.0 rebounds during her junior campaign. She earned 2016 IBCA Class 3A/4A Second-Team All-State honors and All-Conference recognition.

Green guided Homewood-Flossmoor High School to a 22-3 record and a sectional title last season. She is a shifty guard with the ability to score from the outside and attack the rim with physicality built for the Southeastern Conference.

Green elected to sign with Pingeton and the Tigers over offers from Cincinnati, Marquette, Purdue and Indiana. She will major in sport management at Mizzou.

Winfrey is the most decorated girls basketball player in Lebanon High School history. She already holds 21 school records after just three seasons, including career points (1,425), career rebounds (579), career assists (212) and career steals (320). The 5-foot-9 guard received 2016 First-Team All-State honors after averaging a school-record 21.2 points per game as a junior.

Winfrey is a three-time First-Team All-Ozark Conference selection, three-time First-Team All-District honoree and was a 2016 Gatorade Player of the Year finalist. Following a 12-14 freshman campaign, Winfrey has spearheaded a turnaround at Lebanon that has seen the Tigers post back-to-back winning seasons, including an 18-8 mark last year.

Winfrey was highly recruited, but she chose to stay home and attend Mizzou over interest from North Carolina and Oklahoma State, among others.

Mizzou Women’s Basketball opens the 2016-17 season at Mizzou Arena on Friday, Nov. 11, vs. Abilene Christian as part of the Preseason WNIT. Tip off is slated for 7 p.m.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, MO. – Led by a 22-point, nine-rebound performance from sophomore guard Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.), Mizzou Women’s Basketball defeated Truman State, 87-53, in exhibition action Monday night at Mizzou Arena.

Cunningham’s stellar night led four Tigers in double figures. Senior guard Lianna Doty [St. Louis, Mo.] stuffed the stat sheet with a team-high 13 rebounds to go along with eight points, six steals and five assists. Senior guard Sierra Michaelis [Mercer, Mo.] poured in 18 points behind four threes and a 50 percent shooting night from the field (7-for-14) and freshmen Jordan Chavis (Lexington, N.C.) and Amber Smith (Shreveport, La.) chipped in 11 points and 10 points, respectively.

As a team, Mizzou was relentless on the glass, outrebounding Truman State, 49-24. Seven different Tigers corralled at least three rebounds in a team effort. Defensively, Mizzou collected 14 steals and forced 18 Bulldog turnovers. Head coach Robin Pingeton’s squad limited Truman State to an 25-percent shooting clip from the floor in the opening half to jump ahead quickly and build a comfortable lead.

After Truman State opened the contest with a three-pointer, Mizzou ripped off a 13-0 run to open a double-digit advantage early. The Tigers continually earned trips to the free throw line and capitalized on the opportunity, converting 18-of-23 free throw attempts in the first half. Cunningham went 10-for-10 at the charity stripe in the opening frame and had 15 points and seven rebounds by the break. After Michaelis beat the buzzer with a trey from well beyond the arc, Mizzou went into halftime with a 46-21 lead.

The Tigers continued to build their lead in the third quarter, capping it off with back-to-back transition threes from Chavis and Michaelis. Chavis added another three on Mizzou’s first possession of the fourth quarter to put the Tigers up 71-40 with 9:46 left and Mizzou coasted down the stretch.

After finishing the exhibition slate with a pair of wins by a combined 64 points, Mizzou now turns to the regular season, which officially opens Friday, Nov. 11 against Abilene Christian. The contest tips off at 7 p.m. at Mizzou Arena and serves as the opening round of the Preseason WNIT.

— Mizzou Athletics —