Alkins leads No. 20 Arizona past Missouri
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- It's an old cliché; winning on the road in college basketball is no easy task.
As a visiting opponent, having only seven players on scholarship doesn't make it any easier.
It didn't seem to faze No. 20 Arizona, which looked polished and poised as it defeated Missouri for the third consecutive season, cruising to a 79-60 victory Saturday in its first true road game of the season.
Rawle Alkins led the way for the Wildcats with 19 points and nine rebounds. Kobi Simmons had 19 points on 8-of-15 shooting, and Kadeem Allen added 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
"We're going through a lot right now," Arizona coach Sean Miller said. "How we practice and every game, it's just really crucial for us. I think that in short time, I'm hopeful we can get some guys back, but in the meantime, this was a meaningful game. ... I'm proud of our guys' effort and approach tonight."
The Wildcats (8-2) jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first 3:12, eventually taking a 25-8 lead with 10:29 remaining in the first half. From that point, Missouri outscored Arizona 28-16 in the half, including a 7-0 run to end the opening 20 minutes.
The Tigers (5-4) continued to chip away at Arizona's lead, eventually cutting the deficit to 45-41 early in the second half. However, the Wildcats responded with a 26-4 run that included a Missouri scoring drought of 6:59, halting any momentum the Tigers had mustered.
"I thought we did great job of coming back," Missouri coach Kim Anderson said. "I was really proud of our guys and the way they competed. In the second half early, we had some chances, and then they went on a great run and for all practical purposes, put the game out of reach."
Kevin Puryear had a team-best 11 points and seven rebounds. Leading scorer Frankie Hughes was held in check by the Wildcats' backcourt, scoring 10 points on 2-of-13 shooting. Russell Woods had eight points and six rebounds, and Cullen VanLeer added eight points, all in the first half.
A reported crowd of over 10,000 was on hand for the only currently ranked opponent on Missouri's home schedule.
VanLeer attributed the Tigers' comeback efforts to the home crowd energy.
"The magnitude of the crowd was really nice to have. We appreciated everyone that came out. We were upset we couldn't get the win today, but hopefully we can continue to get bigger crowds and it'll help us get rhythm and flow in the game," VanLeer said.
Arizona dominated the glass, outrebounding Missouri 46-28, its worst rebounding margin of the season.
The Wildcats led wire-to-wire despite nearly doubling Missouri's turnovers, 15-8, and committing 22 fouls to the Tigers' 11. Missouri shot 66.7 percent from the free throw line, including 9 of 17 in the second half.
PIVOTAL MOMENT
Woods received a bounce pass in the lane on a fast break and gathered for a two-handed slam in front of the Missouri student section that would have cut the deficit to 45-43, but missed the dunk. On the ensuing Arizona possession, Woods was whistled for a foul, leading to two free throws by Arizona forward Dusan Ristic, who finished with 12 points and six rebounds.
LET DOWN
Freshman 7-footer Lauri Markkanen entered the game as Arizona's leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 17.8 points and 7.2 rebounds. Against Missouri, the native of Finland had a season-low eight points to go with six rebounds, and fouled out with 2:53 remaining.
Puryear discussed his approach to defending Markkanen.
"Just being physical with him," Puryear said. "Not letting him get comfortable with where he was on the floor with the ball. He likes to operate in the mid-post area, so I tried to eliminate that."
BIG PICTURE
The Wildcats entered the game shooting 36.6 percent from 3-point range, but caught fire early against the Tigers, shooting 54.2 percent. Missouri made just 1 of 8 3-point attempts in the second half while the Wildcats made 6 of 10. Missouri was coming off a season-high 3-point output against Miami (Ohio).
UP NEXT
Arizona hosts Grand Canyon on Wednesday.
