Isiaih Mosley lit up the scoreboard for a season-high 23 points and Nick Honor reached the 1,000-point milestone as Missouri overwhelmed Coastal Carolina 89-51 Wednesday night in Columbia, Mo.
Mosley scored nine points during a backbreaking 15-0 first-half run that allowed the Tigers to put the game out of reach early.
Mosley’s dunk off an outlet pass capped the run, giving the Tigers a 31-11 lead with 6:59 left.
The transfer from Missouri State shot 10 of 15 from the floor. D’Moi Hodge finished with 18 points, and Kobe Brown poured in 17. Honor added nine points for the Tigers (6-0), who remain unbeaten under first-year head coach Dennis Gates. They are also halfway home to matching last season’s win total (12).
The Chanticleers (2-2) dropped their second consecutive game. Jomaru Brown stretched his double-figure scoring streak to four games this season, finishing with 12 points. Linton Brown led the team with 13.
Both teams came in averaging more than 90 points per game, but it was Missouri that had the upper hand on the offensive end of the floor.
The Tigers made five of their first eight shots, including 3-pointers by Hodge and Honor, staking the Tigers to a 12-4 advantage less than five minutes in.
Meanwhile, the Chanticleers struggled to get on track. They missed their first five shots from the floor, including three from beyond the arc, and didn’t connect on a shot from the field until Wilfried Likayi scored off a layup with 16:48 to go in the first half, cutting the Missouri lead to 7-4 at the time.
Missouri then went on a 7-0 run, with Brown knocking down two free throws to give the Tigers their first double-digit edge at 14-4.
Coastal Carolina got as close as 14-9 moments later before Missouri took control from there.
The Tigers led 45-32 at the half and opened the second half on a 22-3 run that led to a 67-35 cushion with 11:09 remaining after a 3-pointer by Hodge.
A Hodge 3-pointer pushed the Missouri lead to 30 at 75-45 with 8:12 left.
–Field Level Media
