COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP)- No. 20 Arizona looked polished and poised as it defeated Missouri for the third consecutive season, cruising to a 79-60 victory Saturday.
Rawle Alkins had 19 points and nine rebounds for the Wildcats, while Kobi Simmons had 19 points on 8-of-15 shooting and Kadeem Allen added 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
The Wildcats (8-2) jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first 3:12, eventually taking a 25-8 lead with 10:29 remaining in the first half. From that point, Missouri outscored Arizona 28-16 in the half, including a 7-0 run to end the half.
The Tigers (5-4) continued to chip away at Arizona’s lead, eventually cutting the deficit to 45-41 early in the second half. However, the Wildcats responded with a 26-4 run that included a Missouri scoring drought of 6:59, halting any momentum the Tigers had mustered.
Kevin Puryear had 11 points and seven rebounds for Missouri. Leading scorer Frankie Hughes was held in check by the Wildcats’ backcourt, scoring 10 points on 2-of-13 shooting. Russell Woods had eight points and six rebounds, and Cullen VanLeer added eight points, all in the first half.
Arizona dominated the glass, outrebounding Missouri 46-28, the Tigers’ worst rebounding margin of the season.
The Wildcats led wire-to-wire despite nearly doubling Missouri’s turnovers, 15-8, and committing 22 fouls to the Tigers’ 11. Missouri shot 66.7 percent from the free throw line, including 9 of 17 in the second half.
BIG PICTURE
Arizona: The Wildcats entered the game shooting 36.6 percent from 3-point range, but caught fire early against the Tigers, shooting 54.2 percent. Missouri made just 1 of 8 3-point attempts in the second half while the Wildcats made 6 of 10. Missouri was coming off a season-high 3-point output against Miami (Ohio).
Missouri: A tenacious on-ball defender, Missouri point guard Terrence Phillips has struggled with foul trouble in recent games. In Monday’s 81-55 win over Miami (Ohio) Phillips played only 10 minutes in the second half, finishing with four fouls. He picked up his third foul 3:56 into the second half, limiting him to just 16 minutes against the Wildcats.
UP NEXT
Arizona: hosts Grand Canyon on Wednesday.
Missouri: hosts Eastern Illinois next Saturday.
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