COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri guard Frankie Hughes will likely never forget his first game in a Tiger uniform.
Hughes had 23 points, tying Steve Stipanovich’s Missouri record for the highest scoring total by a freshman in a debut, as the Tigers beat Alabama A&M 99-44 on Sunday night.
Hughes had 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting in the second half and hit 9 of 14 field goals overall. He said he was unaware of his record-tying performance.
Willie Jackson had 11 points and nine rebounds in his college debut, and Russell Woods added 12 points.
“He’s an energy guy,” Missouri coach Kim Anderson said in describing Jackson. “He’s starting to get more comfortable. When that ball goes up on the board…he goes and gets it. It doesn’t matter who he’s playing against.”
Woods, who spent two years at John A. Logan college in Chicago, views last season as a learning experience.
“I had to get adjusted,” Woods said. “I came into this year with a mindset like, ‘I have to work harder than everyone’ so this offseason I tried to put in a lot of work, and it’s just paying off.”
De’Ederick Petty led the Bulldogs with 13 points.
The Bulldogs (0-2) missed their first 12 shots as Missouri jumped to an 11-2 lead. By halftime, the Tigers led 49-20 as Alabama A&M shot 8 for 35 in the half.
Missouri (1-0) hit 8 of 16 from 3-point range and outrebounded the Bulldogs 43-29. The Tigers scored 48 points in the paint and took advantage of nearly every AAMU miscue, scoring 25 points off 15 Bulldog turnovers.
