Live Blog of Mizzou Basketball's Matchup with South Dakota

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri moved to 6-0 on the season Thursday night, taking a 102-68 win over South Dakota.

South Dakota had its claws in the game at halftime, only trailing by 11 at the break. But a 16-4 run from Missouri in the opening four minutes of the second half put the Tigers firmly in control.

The most life the Coyotes had was midway through the first half, when South Dakota managed to tie the game at 26 thanks to a hot streak from the 3-point line. The Coyotes landed 3-point shots in a four-minute span to tie the game.

Missouri ran a promotion for the game where fans could bring their own popcorn buckets to be filled, and senior forward Jevon Porter participated by creating plenty of buckets of his own. He also was a force on the glass.

"I just got some good opportunities," Porter said of his performance. "We had some size advantage, so I try to take advantage of that, post up on some of their smaller players. And my teammates did a great job of when I was posting up, getting me the ball."

The senior forward recorded a double-double, scoring 19 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, both highs for his season. He made all nine of his attempts from the field.

A bigger night from Porter was needed with center Shawn Phillips Jr., Missouri's leading rebounder, missing the game due to an illness.

"I think Shawn brings so much to our team in terms of rebounding," Porter said. "Just understanding, with him out, I'm gonna have to be more aggressive, especially when pursuing rebounds."

Senior forward Mark Mitchell also had an impressive night, leading Missouri with 22 points while also grabbing five rebounds. This is the third game this season where Mitchell has recorded over 20 points.

Thursday night was also the return of sophomore forward Annor Boateng, who had missed each of the first five games of the season with an undisclosed injury. In 16 minutes of play, he had one rebound, one assist and an impressive block. He also scored his first points of the season on a free-throw make and a late layup.

"Coming off of our preseason, I thought he was one of the top three guys on the team," head coach Dennis Gates said of Boateng. "His rhythm got disrupted. However, we got to work him back into his rhythm. ... He's just got to get back in game shape, and he'll do that. So it was great to see him out there as we continue to get our team at 100%."

Missouri will take the weekend off before returning to the court Tuesday to take on South Carolina State.

Game Recap

Final Stats

Second Half

Now it's Jevon Porter's turn for a hot run, scoring seven of the Tigers' last nine points in the last three minutes to put the Tigers up 78-54 with nine minutes remaining.

A hot start to the half for Mark Mitchell has taken this game out o control, with the Tigers now holding a 65-45 lead at the U16 timeout. Mitchell has scored six unanswered points himself in the last 48 seconds.

First Half

Stats

Anthony Robinson II siks down a layup at the buzzer to give Missouri a 53-42 lead at halftime.

Missouri is winning at the free-throw line and on the fast break to take a 40-33 lead over South Dakota with 3:43 in the half. Seven of Missouri's last 16 points have come from the charity stripe.

South Dakota has got hot from 3-point range, making three in the last two minutes to tie the game at 21. Securing the paint but allowing a streak of 3s has been a trend for the Missouri defense this season.

Luke Northweather has returned to the court as the clock ticks past 14. He had been in the locker room with trainers for the last four minutes after walking in with a towel held to his face.

Annor Boateng has checked in for his first minutes of the season, subbing for Jevon Porter at the 14:38 mark.

Missouri forward Luke Northweather walked off the court after the first minute with a towel held up to his nose. True freshman Nicholas Randall has replaced him in the lineup.

Starting Lineups

Missouri	South Dakota
G Anthony Robinson II	G Jordan Crawford
G Sebastian Mack	G Shey Eberwein
F Jevon Porter	G Evan Anderson
F Mark Mitchell	G Isaac Bruns
F Luke Northweather	C Cameron Fens

Pregame

Missouri center Shawn Phillips Jr. will miss tonight's game with an illness, per the team.

How to Watch: South Dakota at Missouri men's basketball:

Who: The South Dakota Coyotes (3-2) at Missouri (5-0)

What: Game 6 of Missouri's season

Where: Mizzou Arena (15,061)

When: Thursday, Nov. 20, 7 p.m.

TV: SEC Network+

SirusXM: Home at 392

Radio: Tiger Radio Network: (Play-by-play Mike Kelly, Analyst Howard Richards, Sideline Chris Gervino)

Series: Missouri leads 4-0.Last Meeting: Nov. 30, 1976 — Missouri won 85-76.