COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Reserve Caleb Grill scored 25 points on 9-for-12 shooting and Tamar Bates scored 11 points as Missouri overwhelmed Pacific 91-56 on Friday night.
Reserve Trent Pierce added 10 points for Missouri (4-1) which made 14 of 30 3-pointers.
Elias Ralph scored 19 points and Seth Jones 15 for Pacific (3-4).
Pacific's Elijah Fisher led with a 3 and threw down a dunk for a 5-0 lead. Fisher made consecutive layups for a 9-4 advantage, and that's when Missouri took control.
Grill — who recorded a career-high 33 points against Eastern Washington 11 days ago — made a layup, Marques Warrick made two free throws and buried a 3 and Missouri led 11-9. Jazz Gardner tied it with a jumper and Missouri responded with a 16-4 run that started with a jumper from Josh Gray and ended with his 3 for a 27-15 Missouri lead with 8:17 left before halftime.
Anthony Robinson II's 3 with 6:15 before intermission made it 32-20 and Missouri led by double digits for the remainder.
The schools met for just the third time and the first time in 53 years. The home team has always won with Pacific claiming a victory in 1966 before Mizzou answered with a win in 1971.
The Tigers are playing a West Coast Conference team for just the sixth time in school history and the first time in 20 seasons.
Overall, Mizzou is just 2-4 versus the WCC
Before Friday, the Tigers won their last meeting versus a WCC foe, defeating No. 12 Gonzaga inside Mizzou Arena on Dec. 30, 2004.
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