Columbia, Mo. - A program-record 12 blocks propelled the Missouri men's basketball team past South Carolina State, 82-59, Wednesday night inside Mizzou Arena in front of 9,745 fans. The Tigers improved to 4-2 on the season while the visiting Bulldogs fell to 2-4.

Sean East II led the team in scoring for the fourth time this season, tying a season-high by putting up 21 points to go along with four assists and a pair of steals. Three additional Tigers added double-digits in the scoring column as four threes from Nick Honor guided him to 14 points, Noah Carter tabbed 13 points, six rebounds and four blocks and Anthony Robinson II added 10 points with three rebounds, a pair of assists and a pair of steals.

After an East II floater opened the scoring, SCSU made 13 of their first 19 attempts from the floor, giving Missouri an early deficit.

That's when the Tigers strung together back-to-back buckets for the first time in the contest, including their first three provided by Connor Vanover. After such, a Shaw slam and three triples from Honor capped off an 18-2 Mizzou run, knotting the game up at 31 apiece.

During the run, MU shot 6-of-8 from the floor and four Bulldog turnovers meant the visitors amassed just one bucket in 5:21 of play. All 18 points during the offensive spurt came in just over four minutes.

After Missouri stormed back the two squads traded buckets with the visiting Bulldogs taking a 37-35 advantage into half.

The Tigers came out swinging in the second half. A fast-break approach on offense coupled with a potent defensive effort allowed MU to begin the back half of the game on a 26-2 run that provided the hosts with an insurmountable lead. During the stretch, Mizzou shot 84.6 percent from the field and blocked six SCSU attempts.

The overall run for Mizzou stretched to 48-10 after being down early. East II alone was able to outscore the opposition over the middle 18:53 of play, from which the hosts were able to pull out a comfortable 23-point victory.

Mizzou shot 53 percent from the floor in the evening, including knocking down nine threes and hitting 9-of-11 from the charity stripe. The record dozen blocks were also accompanied by 11 steals on the defensive end. South Carolina State shot 47 percent and were just 2-of-10 from beyond the arc.

UP NEXT
Missouri caps off its three-game home stand this Saturday, Nov. 25 against Loyola University (Md.). Opening tip is slated for 11 a.m. and will be streaming on SEC Network+.