Strong starts to both halves paved the way for the Tigers' decisive victory.

The Tigers rallied from the tip-off and had a 24-point lead with 6 minutes remaining in the half. Senior forwards DeMarre Carroll and Leo Lyons led the team scoring, as Carroll put up 11 points and Lyons put up 13. Freshman guard Marcus Denmon, with 10 points, also proved himself to be a key player.

Cal fought back in the last 6 minutes of the first half, though, to cut Missouri's lead down to 11. Junior guard Patrick Christopher scored 7 points within that time frame and freshman guard Jorge Gutierrez scored 5 for the Bears.

The scoreboard read 46-35 as both teams headed to the locker rooms for halftime, but the Tigers returned to the floor with the same high energy they started the game with and continued to pad their lead throughout the second half.

Freshman guard Kim English was hot with four 3-point field goals and 14 points overall. Carroll also had another strong half for Missouri with 8 points.

Despite junior forward Theo Robertson's good performance with 8 points in the second half, the rest of the Bears struggled on the court. Junior guard Jerome Randle, who had scored 10 in the first, only contributed 5 points and frequent missed shots plagued much of the rest of the team.

By outscoring Cal by 16 points in the second half, the Tigers finished the game with a 27-point lead.

Next, Missouri will take on the Murray State Racers, whose record sits at 5-2. The two teams will tip-off 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13 at Mizzou Arena.