Missouri vs. South Carolina State recap: Tigers best Bulldogs by 51 points

The No. 12 Missouri Tigers dispatched of the South Carolina State Bulldogs, 102-51, on Monday night in Columbia, Mo., in preparation for Saturday's rivalry game against Illinois.

The Tigers utilized a balanced attack, spreading around minutes to 13 different players after Missouri burst out to a 49-18 halftime lead. Guard Earnest Ross led the Tigers in scoring with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting off the bench. Keion Bell and Jabari Brown added 12 points a piece to help Missouri move to 9-1 on the season.

Matthew Hezekiah had a solid night, scoring 14 points and grabbing 12 rebounds on an otherwise bleak night for the Bulldogs. South Carolina State shot just 29 percent from the field, going 20-69 overall and 6-23 from the three-point line. Shaquille Mitchell was the only other Bulldog in double figures, with 10 points.

Alex Oriakhi scored nine points and pulled down 11 rebounds in limited minutes during the blowout.

Missouri prepares to face No. 10 Illinois Fighting Illini (12-0) on Saturday in the annual Braggin' Rights rivalry game.

This story originally appeared at SB Nation.