Mizzou routs LIU, eclipses win total from last season

Over the first four-and-a-half minutes of action on Saturday, LIU was going toe-to-toe with Mizzou.

The Sharks were getting the Tigers out of position defensively. The road underdogs made four consecutive shots to take an early 8-7.

And then, the blitz happened.

Mizzou dominated LIU the rest of the way, ultimately taking home an 88-61 victory. MU has now won more games in just over a month (9) than it did all of last season (8). It also marks just the second time since the 2014-15 season that the Tigers started a season 9-1 (they did it in 2022-23).

MU was led by an unexpected source on offense, as Trent Pierce caught fire in the first half. In just eight minutes, Pierce scored a career-high 17…