COLUMBIA, Mo. - It wasn't easy but the Missouri Tigers found away to escape with a win in the season-opener.
Laurence Bowers scored nine points, grabbed 10 rebounds and added four blocked shots to lead the No. 15 Missouri Tigers to a 66-51 win over Western Illinois at the Mizzou Arena. Bowers joined three other Tigers scoring nine points in a balanced attack.
Matt Lander's 24 points led Leathernecks in scoring.
Western Illinois stayed with the Tigers late by sinking free throws late. The Tigers made just four of eight in the final 45 seconds of the game. The Leathernecks took the lead 57-55 with five minutes to go in the second-half. Mizzou responded outscoring Western Illinois 11-4 the rest of the game.
The Tigers return to the Mizzou Arena Saturday to play North Florida. Tip-off is at 3:00PM.
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