Led by freshman guard Frankie Hughes and freshman forward Willie Jackson, the Missouri Tigers used a 21-2 second half run to down upset-minded Central Missouri, 66-59 on Friday night at Mizzou Arena in Columbia.
Hughes (Cleveland, OH) had 15 points, including three 3-point field goals, while Jackson (Cleveland, OH) joined sophomore forward Kevin Puryear (Blue Springs, MO) by each grabbing eight rebounds.
A dunk by freshman forward Reed Nikko (Maple Grove, MN) started the second half surge for MU, extending the lead to 53-35 with 9:26 to go. A late-game run by the Mules ended seven points short of overtime.
Missouri opens the regular season on Sunday night (November 13th), hosting Alabama A&M. The 7 o’clock game from Mizzou Arena can be heard on KTTN FM 92.3, with pregame at 6:30. The game will be televised on the SEC Network.
