Mizzou crushes Cleveland State to preserve undefeated season
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Mizzou Men's Basketball has enjoyed a flawless eight-game start to its season.
The Tigers (8-0) cruised to a 86-59 win over Cleveland State (3-6) to remain undefeated through eight games for the first time since the 2022-23 season. MU has beaten its opponents by an average of nearly 25 points during this stretch.
Friday's non-conference matinee also represented a reunion. Mizzou head coach Dennis Gates faced his former assistant Rob Summers, who was named Cleveland State's head coach over the offseason. Coach Gates, who was the head coach of the Vikings for three seasons (2019-22), also faced his former team for the first time in his tenure with the Tigers.
You can watch the full postgame press conferences with both head coaches, along with extended highlights of the game, in the slideshow above.
MU sprinted out to a 23-point advantage over Cleveland State, powered by a 23-0 scoring run to begin the afternoon. The team tallied 23 straight points within the first nine minutes of the contest, headlined by a trio of three-pointers from Sebastian Mack, Jevon Porter and Luke Northweather. The Tigers held the Vikings without a field goal until the 10:13-mark of the first half.
From there, MU maintained control of the contest, creating its largest lead (27) with a three-pointer from Jacob Crews in the final seconds. The 6-foot-8 forward matched his highest-scoring performance with the Tigers, finishing with 20 points, eight rebounds and four three-pointers.
Although Mizzou shot less than 50% from the field for the first time this season, the team still posted a .478 field goal percentage and out-rebounded the Vikings by a 21-board margin (47-26). MU also grabbed 18 offensive rebounds, which was its second-best effort of the campaign.
Crews highlighted Mizzou's five players who cracked double figures. Mack, Northweather, Annor Boateng and Mark Mitchell posted 10 points each.
Up next - Mizzou is hitting the road for the first time since its season opener on Nov. 3. The Tigers travel to face Notre Dame in the SEC/ACC Challenge on Tuesday, Dec. 2 at 8 p.m.
