Missouri beats Wagner 99-55 as Michael Porter Jr. sits out

Jordan Barnett stole the ball on Wagner’s opening possession and took off for a two-handed dunk, and Missouri never looked back in the Tigers’ 99-55 win over the Seahawks on Monday.

The win came in the Tigers’ second straight game without top freshman Michael Porter Jr., who was announced as day-to-day because of a left leg injury shortly before tipoff. Junior Kevin Puryear started in Porter’s place.

Tigers head coach Cuonzo Martin said after the game that Porter remains day-to-day and that he’s uncertain whether or not he will travel with the team on Thursday for its next game against Utah. Kassius Robertson said Porter did not practice with the team on Sunday.

“I don’t know how serious, it’s hard for me to say that,” Martin said of Porter’s injury. “I think it’s safe to say he’s day-to-day. I’m not a doctor.”

Missouri jumped out to a 17-3 lead in the first six minutes of the game, powered by the twin towers of Jeremiah Tilmon and Jontay Porter. Both players had about five inches on the Seahawks’ forwards and took advantage as they combined for 15 points in the first half.

Porter showed off his passing ability throughout the first half. On one play, he chased down a long miss by Kassius Robertson and kicked it back to him just before heading out of bounds. Robertson connected on his second attempt to extend Missouri’s lead to 33-10. Later, Porter made a no-look pass to a streaking Terrence Phillips for a layup.

Toward the end of the first half, freshman point guard Blake Harris went down hard after going up for a layup. Harris left the game favoring his right leg and was on the bench with an ice pack around his left knee for the remainder of the contest. Martin said after the game that he’s uncertain of Harris’ leg injury and said he’ll know more Tuesday.

Throughout the game, Michael Porter Jr. wasn’t on Missouri’s bench, nor was he out with the team in warmups. A team spokesperson said that it was easier for Porter to watch the game from the locker room than on the bench because of his leg injury. Porter played two minutes in the team’s season-opener against Iowa State and scored a basket before he asked to come out of the game.

Missouri took a 54-21 lead into halftime, with Robertson scoring 13 points in the first half. Porter added nine points in the first half to go along with seven rebounds and a team-high four assists.

Barnett finished his night where he started, soaring over Seahawks guard Blake Francis for a one-handed slam with just over eight minutes remaining. Barnett finished the night with 13 points and was one of five Tigers to score in double-figures. Robertson led the team with 23 points.

Missouri walk-ons Brett Rau and Adam Wolf entered late in the game, and both drained three-pointers, which had Mizzou Arena at its loudest all evening. For Rau, the three was his first collegiate basket.

“That was the highlight of the night for me,” Robertson said. “Those guys are with us every moment. Every moment through practice, they work just as hard as us.”

Francis led the Seahawks with 17 points in the loss.

Missouri 99, Wagner 55

This story was originally published November 13, 2017 at 10:22 PM with the headline "Missouri beats Wagner 99-55 as Michael Porter Jr. sits out."