COLUMBIA, Mo. Vanderbilt junior Luke Kornet scored a team-high 11 points for the Commodores, but it was not enough, as Missouri came away with a 72-52 win over Vanderbilt Saturday afternoon at Mizzou Arena.
Jordan Barnett tied a career-high 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds for Missouri. Kevin Puryear had 13 points and eight rebounds, and Russell Woods added 10 points and five rebounds.
Missouri led 35-29 at halftime after shooting 50 percent from 3-point range in the first half. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Kevin Puryear sparked an 11-0 run that lasted 3:14 and gave the Tigers a seven-point lead, its largest of the game.
Matthew Fisher-Davis, who entered the game averaging 15.6 points per game for Vanderbilt, scored just eight points on 1 of 5 shooting. Nolan Cressler, Riley LaChance and Clevon Brown each added eight.
”We knew that he was coming in very hot,” Vanderbilt coach Bryce Drew said of Barnett. ”He makes 3s in a variety of ways, he gets to the rim and we knew the scouting report coming in. Unfortunately, he hit some tough shots with guys in his face, so you’ve really got to credit him.”
The Commodores (12-13, 5-7 Southeastern Conference) entered the game leading the SEC in 3-pointers made, but struggled from distance, shooting just 21.4 percent (6-28), including 1-for-15 in the second half.
”We feed off the three-point shot,” Drew said. ”We win games by it and we lose games by it. It’s just how this team is built. I thought we had some really good looks, especially in that second half. When you miss and you don’t get any easy baskets.it’s hard to work your way back into the game.”
The Tigers (7-17, 2-10) continued their hot shooting in the second half, led by Puryear and Barnett, who combined to shoot 8-for-11 from 3-point range.
BIG PICTURE
Vanderbilt: The Commodores have never won in Mizzou Arena, falling to 0-5 all time. Their last visit was Feb. 19, 2014, which Missouri narrowly won, 67-64. Despite the loss, Vanderbilt’s four conference road wins this season tie Florida and South Carolina for the most in the SEC.
Missouri: The Tigers have made a peculiar habit of grouping their few conference wins together during Anderson’s three-year tenure. In the 2014-15 season, Missouri’s only two conference victories came at home exactly one week apart against Florida and Auburn. Last season, the Tigers won three SEC games, two of which came three days apart. Missouri’s first conference win this season was one week ago, an 83-78 home win over Arkansas.
UP NEXT
Vanderbilt: Hosts Texas A&M Thursday. The Commodores won the last meeting 68-54 on Jan. 31 in College Station.
Missouri: Hosts Alabama Wednesday. The Tigers have not beaten Alabama since Jan. 18, 2014, a 68-47 win in Mizzou Arena.
