(AP) --  The Missouri Tigers men's basketball team
has defeated division II Truman State 96-33 in its first exhibition
game at Mizzou Arena.
 

The Tigers came storming out of the gate , jumping
out to a 23-3 lead early in the first half. They maintained a large
lead throughout.

 Missouri forward Laurence Bowers led the way, scoring 14 points
and adding 12 rebounds. The Tigers shot 49 percent for the day and
had five players in double figures, including freshman Michael
Dixon, who scored 10 points in his first collegiate game.

 The Tigers forced Truman State into 28 turnovers with Missouri
coach Mike Anderson's trademark "40 Minutes of Hell" defense.
Twenty of those were steals by the Tigers.

The Tiger defense took hold in the second period, limiting the Bulldogs to just 5.9 percent shooting (1-of-17), while forcing 15 second half turnovers in the 63-point victory.

Missouri finished the game with a 54-24 advantage on the glass and turned it into 52 points in the paint.

 TheTigers also boasted a 36-0 edge in points off turnovers and 47 points off the bench.

Vesko Filchev was the high scorer for the Bulldogs, netting 8
points.

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