Mizzou Basketball Outlasts Nebraska-Omaha, 85-78


By: Josh Neighbors
The University of Missouri men’s basketball teams earned their third straight victory and remained undefeated at Mizzou Arena with an 85-78 victory over the University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks Wednesday night.
Freshman forward Kevin Puryear continued his great play with another impressive performance, scoring a game high 18 points on 5-of-8 shooting and made a season-high seven free throws. He also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
Freshman guard Terrence Phillips scored 14 points despite limited action and fouling out halfway through the second half. Freshman K.J. Walton was the third Tiger in double figures, going a perfect 3-of-3 from the field scoring 10 points.
The Tigers were able to maintain their lead down the stretch due to their ability to hit free throws in clutch situations. As a result, the Tigers had one of their best team performances at the stripe this season, going 29-of-38 (76.3 percent)
For the Mavericks, senior forward Jake White recorded a double-double, scoring 18 points on 6-of-8 from the field and also grabbed 10 rebounds. Guards Tra-Deon Hollins and Devin Patterson were also in double figures, scoring 13 and 17 respectively.
The victory put the Tigers to 5-3 on the season as they hit the road for a showdown with the No. 13 Arizona Wildcats at the McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz. this Sunday at 8 p.m. The Tigers will be searching for their first road victory on the season and the program’s first victory against a ranked team since December of 2013, when they beat the No. 18 UCLA Bruins at Mizzou Arena 80-71.
The Mavericks dropped to 4-5 with the loss. UNO will also be heading to Arizona for their next contest when they face off against Grand Canyon University, as they look to get back to .500 on the season.

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