Tigers F Noah Carter Pours In 28 Points To Lead Mizzou Past Penn
Head coach Dennis Gates and the Missouri Tigers stayed perfect on Friday night, defeating the Penn Quakers 92-85. These first two contests may have been a little too close for comfort, given the level of competition, but Mizzou can't complain about much with a 2-0 start under its belt.
The Tigers were propelled to victory by forward Noah Carter, who led all scorers with 28 points on the night and shot 53-percent from the field. Carter, a 6-foot-6 junior, was lights out from beyond the arc hitting six of his nine three point attempts, the most makes of any player who took a three. The Iowa native also added eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals to his stat line for the night.
Mizzou guards Nick Honor and D'Moi Hodge also knocked down three three-pointers each, finishing with 16 and 17 points, respectively. The Tigers shot much better from long range in this one, connecting on 16 of their 35 long range tries, a large improvement over their 7-for-28 mark in the season opener. It'll be crucial for the Tigers to maintain a solid clip from beyond the arc, given their usual height disadvantage.
While there's plenty to be excited about for Missouri, there's also quite a bit to work on. Penn out rebounded Mizzou 37 to 29, which is concerning considering the bigs that the Tigers will face this year are going to be much more imposing than the Quakers. Gates starts four guards, which is plays to the Tigers' current strengths, but it also leaves them at a significant disadvantage on the boards.
It's early, very early, but all things considered, the Tigers are in pretty decent shape. They'll play their next game on Sunday, when they host Lindenwood for the third game of the young season. There are certainly some kinks to work out, but Gates is undefeated as Missouri's head coach and the Tigers seem to be making the right adjustments, even in their wins.
Competition for the Tigers won't really ramp up until late November when they hit the road to take on Wichita State. Right now, Missouri has time to clean things up and get everyone on the same page. This time in the early season will be integral to just how far the Tigers go this year.
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