Missouri defeats SIU Edwardsville in season opener

The No. 15 Missouri Tigers won the their first men's basketball game of the season, defeating the SIU-Edwardsville Cougars 83-69 in their first non-conference game as a member of the SEC. The Cougars played the Tigers tough, leading by as many as six in the first twenty minutes, and trailed by only six at half. But Missouri went on a 10-2 run to start the second period and never looked back.

Senior Laurence Bowers led all scorers with 20 points, and grabbed seven rebounds as well. Bowers missed last season with a knee injury and received a medical redshirt. SEC preseason player of the year Phil Pressey had a strong performance as well, contributing 19 points, nine assists and five rebounds. Connecticut transfer Alex Oriakhi hauled in 15 rebounds, while Negus Webster-Chan added 11 points off the bench.

Forward Jerome Jones led SIU-Edwardsville with 17 points, while Maurice Wiltz and Kris Davis each had 11. Michael Messer chipped in 13 points off the bench, including a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line.

Missouri' next game will be on Tuesday when they welcome the Alcorn State Braves to Mizzou Arena, while SIU-Edwardsville hosts the Western Illinois Leathernecks on Wednesday.

This story was originally published on SB Nation.com.