Mizzou’s Trent Pierce (11) scored a career-high 24 points in the Tigers’ win over LIU on Saturday. (Photo: Cedric Williams)
| NCAA Men’s Basketball | 1 | 2 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Long Island (4-9) | 24 | 37 | 61 |
| Missouri (9-1) | 45 | 43 | 88 |
Terrance Williams
Staff Writer
COLUMBIA, MO — Sophomore wingman Trent Pierce scored a career-high 24 points to lead the University of Missouri men’s basketball team to an 88-61 win over Long Island University, Saturday afternoon at Mizzou Arena.
Pierce, who started three games last season as a freshman, but hasn’t made any starts this season, came off the bench and had his best game as a college player on Saturday.
The 6-foot-10 guard/forward from Tulsa, made eight-of-14 shots, including five three-pointers in just 20 minutes of play to lead Missouri to the win.
Pierce’s previous career high was 13 points, which he scored in Mizzou’s season opener against Memphis. Since then, he had reached double-figures two other times, but none of his performances were like what he showed on Saturday, when he proved to be instant offense for the Tigers.
“When you can have that dynamic ability, it helps you in the scouting report,” Mizzou head coach Dennis Gates said. “Trent wants to play, and what he showed today was his ability to not focus on the minutes he had, but doing something with what he got.”
Pierce said he knew coming into the game that he would have a chance to attack LIU’s defense.
“We knew they were a switching team, so (we wanted to) abuse them with certain actions,” Pierce said. “And, I mean, it showed up. They got confused. They messed up on their rotations and left us open a few times. So preparation (was the difference). It was our preparation offensively.”
Trent Pierce gets congratulated by teammates, after making a three-pointer in Saturday’s Mizzou win over LIU. (Photo: Cedric Williams)
Marques Warrick, who also came off the bench, also had one of his finest days as a Tiger on Saturday. The 6-foot-3 grad student from Lexington, Ky., made six of the eight shots he took, including four three-pointers, and finished the day with 16 points.
Overall, Mizzou got 53 points from its bench with Jacob Crews scoring seven points and Aidan Shaw adding six. Mark Mitchell was the only Missouri starter to reach double figures in points. The junior from Kansas City had 15 points and seven rebounds.
“(We) played less five men and increased guard play and made sure ‘Ques and Crews and Trent Pierce was on the floor,” Gates said. “They combined for, I mean, ‘Ques played 25 minutes and you look at Trent, he played 20 minutes and Crews played 13. So that’s close to 60 minutes of action from those guys, and that’s their style of play … So the change just comes with the rotation and what you are given offensively.”
Mizzou freshman Peyton Marshall battles two defenders during Saturday’s NCAA men’s basketball game against LIU. (Photo: Cedric Williams)
Mizzou (9-1), which has now won nine games in a row, will be back in action quickly. The Tigers will return to the court on Tuesday, when they’ll host Jacksonville State in a game at Mizzou Arena.
Tip off that evening is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be streamed live on SEC Network+.
Long Island University 61
| ## | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00 | Davis,Malachi | * | 22 | 5-12 | 0-2 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 12 |
| 11 | Strickland,Terell | * | 30 | 4-9 | 2-3 | 1-2 | 0-4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 11 |
| 12 | Davis,Brent | * | 27 | 2-7 | 0-5 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 33 | Fuller,Jamal | * | 27 | 2-7 | 0-3 | 0-0 | 1-4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 22 | Lasu,Shadrak | * | 22 | 0-4 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2-1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 09 | Lee,Jalen | 23 | 4-11 | 1-3 | 2-2 | 2-1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11 | |
| 02 | Lander,Blake | 17 | 3-5 | 3-4 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | |
| 34 | Li,Xinyi | 18 | 2-5 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 3-1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
| 08 | Steele,Jason | 14 | 2-4 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 3-0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 4-3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | – | 200 | 24-64 | 8-24 | 5-6 | 16-16 | 32 | 17 | 11 | 15 | 2 | 6 | 61 |
Missouri 88
| ## | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Mitchell, Mark | * | 27 | 7-9 | 0-0 | 1-5 | 0-7 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 15 |
| 00 | Robinson II, Anthony | * | 23 | 2-4 | 0-1 | 4-4 | 0-1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 8 |
| 12 | Perkins, Tony | * | 19 | 2-3 | 2-3 | 0-0 | 0-3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 02 | Bates, Tamar | * | 16 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 0-1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 33 | Gray, Josh | * | 10 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | Pierce, Trent | 20 | 8-14 | 5-11 | 3-3 | 2-2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 24 | |
| 01 | Warrick, Marques | 26 | 6-8 | 4-5 | 0-0 | 1-0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 16 | |
| 35 | Crews, Jacob | 13 | 2-6 | 2-6 | 1-1 | 1-3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | |
| 23 | Shaw, Aidan | 26 | 2-5 | 1-1 | 1-2 | 2-3 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | |
| 06 | Boateng, Annor | 8 | 0-4 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 1-0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 04 | Allen, Marcus | 6 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 05 | Barrett, T.O. | 3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 21 | Marshall, Peyton | 3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 0-1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 3-3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | – | 200 | 31-55 | 14-28 | 12-19 | 11-24 | 35 | 10 | 20 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 88 |
2024-25 Missouri Tigers Men’s Basketball Schedule
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | TV/Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 4, 2024 (Monday) | 7 p.m. | Away | Memphis | Memphis, Tenn. | L 83-75 (0-1) |
| November 8, 2024 (Friday) | 7 p.m. | Home | Howard | Mizzou Arena | W 77-62 (1-1) |
| November 11, 2024 (Monday) | 6 p.m. | Home | Eastern Washington | Mizzou Arena | W 84-77 (2-1) |
| November 14, 2024 (Thursday) | 6:30 p.m. | Home | Mississippi Valley State | Mizzou Arena | W 111-39 (3-1) |
| November 22, 2024 (Friday) | 6:30 p.m. | Home | Pacific | Mizzou Arena | W 91-56 (4-1) |
| November 24, 2024 (Sunday) | 4 p.m. | Home | Arkansas – Pine Bluff | Mizzou Arena | W 112-63 (5-1) |
| November 27, 2024 (Wednesday) | 5:30 p.m. | Home | Lindenwood | Mizzou Arena | W 81-61 (6-1) |
| December 3, 2024 (Tuesday) | 6 p.m. | Home | California | Mizzou Arena | W 98-93 (7-1) |
| December 8, 2024 (Sunday) | Noon | Home | Kansas | Mizzou Arena | W 76-67 (8-1) |
| December 14, 2024 (Saturday) | 11 a.m. | Home | Long Island | Mizzou Arena | W 88-61 (9-1) |
| December 17, 2024 (Tuesday) | 6:30 p.m. | Home | Jacksonville State | Mizzou Arena |  |
| December 22, 2024 (Sunday) | Noon | Neutral | Illinois | St. Louis, Mo. / Enterprise Center |  |
| December 30, 2024 (Monday) | 6:30 p.m. | Alabama State | Mizzou Arena | Mizzou Arena | |
| January 4, 2025 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Away | Auburn | Auburn, Ala. |  |
| January 7, 2025 (Tuesday) | 8 p.m. | Home | LSU | Mizzou Arena | |
| January 11, 2025 (Saturday) | 2:30 p.m. | Home | Vanderbilt | Mizzou Arena | |
| January 14, 2025 (Tuesday) | 8 p.m. | Away | Florida | Gainesville, Fla. |  |
| January 18, 2025 (Saturday) | 5 p.m. | Home | Arkansas | Mizzou Arena | |
| January 21, 2025 (Tuesday) | 8 p.m. | Away | Texas | Austin, Texas | |
| January 25, 2025 (Saturday) | 5 p.m. | Home | Ole Miss | Mizzou Arena | |
| February 1, 2025 (Saturday) | Noon | Away | Mississippi State | Starkville, Miss. | |
| February 5, 2025 (Wednesday) | 6 p.m. | Away | Tennessee | Knoxville, Tenn. | |
| February 8, 2025 (Saturday) | 2:30 p.m. | Home | Texas A&M | Mizzou Arena | |
| February 12, 2025 (Wednesday) | 8 p.m. | Home | Oklahoma | Mizzou Arena | |
| February 15, 2025 (Saturday) | 2:30 p.m. | Away | Georgia | Athens, Ga. | |
| February 19, 2025 (Wednesday) | 8 p.m. | Home | Alabama | Mizzou Arena | |
| February 22, 2025 (Saturday) | 7 p.m. | Away | Arkansas | Fayetteville, Ark. | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| February 25, 2025 (Tuesday) | 8 p.m. | Home | South Carolina | Mizzou Arena | ESPN2 or ESPNU |
| March 1, 2025 (Saturday) | 5 p.m. | Away | Vanderbilt | Nashville, Tenn. | |
| March 5, 2025 (Wednesday) | 7 p.m. | Away | Oklahoma | Norman, Okla. | |
| March 8, 2025 (Saturday) | 11 a.m. | Home | Kentucky | Mizzou Arena | ESPN or SECN |
| March 12-16, 2025 | TBD | Neutral | SEC Tournament | Nashville, Tenn. / Bridgestone Arena | SECN or ESPN |