COLUMBIA, Mo. — The 12th-ranked Missouri Tigers survived a scare from the Bucknell Bison on Saturday afternoon, as they held on for a 66-64 win at Mizzou Arena.
Tigers junior guard Phil Pressey scored a career-high 26 points and five assists. It took all of that and then some to fend off a feisty Bison Squad.
Bucknell (13-3, 6-3 away) maintained the lead throughout most of the first half, and led 28-24 at the break. Leading the charge for the Bison was senior forward Mike Muscala, who added a double-double with 25 points and 14 rebounds.
Freshman forward Stefan Jankovic opened up the second half with a three-pointer and a dunk, and Missouri (11-2, 8-0 home) jumped back out in front 29-28. After several second half lead changes, the Tigers took the lead back for good on Pressey’s three-pointer with 2:58 to play.
Mizzou edged Bucknell on the boards 38-35. Both teams shot well from the field. The Tigers finished with 43% shooting, while the Bison shot 42%. Tigers senior forward Laurence Bowers finished with 16 points and eight rebounds.
Missouri will host its conference opener on Tuesday night against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Mizzou Arena.
