The Mizzou men’s basketball team secured a dominant 92-59 victory over Central Arkansas on Saturday at Mizzou Arena, concluding their non-conference campaign with an 8-5 record. The Bears dropped to 3-12 following the loss.
Tamar Bates led the Tigers with a career-best performance, contributing 25 points by making his first nine attempts and all three of his 3-point shots. He also recorded season-best totals of four rebounds and three assists. Graduate guard Sean East II added 16 points on a 7-of-9 shooting clip, while sophomore forward Aidan Shaw achieved a new career-high with 10 points and contributed five rebounds. Graduates Noah Carter and Connor Vanover rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points each.
Mizzou took an early 11-3 lead in the opening minutes, but Central Arkansas stayed competitive, preventing the Tigers from pulling away. With the score at 26-25 in favor of Mizzou, a slam dunk by Shaw helped ignite the Tigers’ offense, allowing them to outscore Central Arkansas 20-6 in the final minutes of the first half. Mizzou entered halftime with a 46-31 lead.
Carrying the momentum into the second half, Mizzou extended its lead, utilizing scoring runs to establish a 30-plus point advantage. The Tigers maintained their lead until the final buzzer, securing the 92-59 victory.
Mizzou dominated the boards, collecting a season-best 47 rebounds, while limiting Central Arkansas to only 22. The Tigers outscored the Bears 23-5 in second-chance points and 46-16 in points in the paint, demonstrating their control of the game.
Next on the schedule, the Tigers will open the new year with their SEC opener against Georgia on January 6. The game is scheduled for noon and will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
