Missouri Basketball Holds On, Takes Down Penn

The Tigers got a scare from the Penn Quakers early, but were able to hold on and move to 2-0 on the season.

Looking to move to 2-0 on the season, the Missouri Tigers entered their matchup with the Pennsylvania Quakers on Friday night in Columbia as 14-point favorites and were expected to win big. 

And, to everyone's surprise, the Quakers were unphased by the environment of Mizzou Arena and came to play vs. the Tigers, nearly pulling off the upset. 

However, after a back-and-forth battle, the Tigers were ultimately able to pull away, winning 92-85, earning their second win. 

The Tigers and Quakers battled in a tight affair until late in the second half, when the talent of Mizzou, including junior Noah Carter, were able to take over. 

Carter finished as the game's high scorer with 28 points, to go along with eight rebounds three assists, and two steals.

D'Moi Hodge also added 17 points for Missouri, while Nick Honor also finished in double figures with 16.

As a team, the Tigers shot 45.9 percent from the floor, including 45.7 percent from three. 

Meanwhile, the Quakers outshot the Tigers in both categories, hitting 49.1 percent from the floor and 48.4 percent from three. 

However, despite those shooting numbers, it was the Mizzou defense that made the difference in this one, forcing the Quakers into 19 turnovers.

In fact, six different Tigers finished with a steal in the game, with five players finishing with at least two, and three players finishing with at least three. 

In the end, that effort was enough to allow Mizzou to hold on, and give first-year head coach Dennis Gates his second win of the season. 

Following the win, the Tigers will now turn the page to a Sunday afternoon matchup against the Lindenwood Lions at Mizzou Arena.

The Lions (1-1) will be coming off of an 85-58 win over the Hannibal-LaGrange Trojans, and have also played the No. 24 Dayton Flyers. 

The Lions and Tigers are scheduled to tip off at 5 PM, with Mizzou set to once again be heavy favorites.

You can follow Matt Galatzan on Twitter @MattGalatzan

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