The Missouri Tigers basketball team picked up a win on Monday as they continued their barnstorming tour in Europe, defeating Bent Schonen-Waregem, a second-division squad from Belgium, 81-72.
Michael Dixon was the Tigers' high scorer, racking up 31 points. The 6-foot-1 rising senior, who was the Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year in 2011, will be expected to have a much bigger role in Missouri's offense after the graduations of Kim English, Marcus Denmon and Matt Pressey.
Missouri started out slow, as Bent began the game with a 12-2 run and ended the first quarter up 25-18:
"I give them a lot of credit," Head Coach Frank Haith told the school's website. "They are a veteran club, so I knew they would have a lot of confidence coming in. I knew they would come out firing and they hit some shots early. I wanted our guys to hang in there and just stay patient. Once we did that, everything fell into place."
In the second half, the Tigers' superior athleticism proved to be the difference, as the Bent players had difficulty creating open shots and scored only 30 points in the final 20 minutes.
Missouri will continue the exhibition season against Gent on Tuesday.
For more coverage of Tigers basketball, check out SB Nation Kansas City and Rock M Nation.