PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas (AP) - Laurence Bowers scored 19 points, as usual most were in the second half, and grabbed 10 rebounds as No. 13 Missouri beat Stanford 78-70 in the first round of the Battle 4 Atlantis on Thursday.
Bowers, who had 13 points in the second half Thursday, has scored more points after halftime in every game this season for the Tigers (4-0). He came in averaging 15.5 points per game,14.0 in the second half.
Missouri will face the winner of the first-round game between No. 2 Louisville and Northern Iowa in Friday's semifinals.
Phil Pressey had 18 points and eight assists for Missouri, which had just three field goals over the final 9:10 and they were all grouped in a 1:57 span starting with 2:12 to play. It didn't matter as the Tigers were 10 of 11 from the free throw line over that span. They were 22 for 25 for the game.
Chasson Randle had 22 points for the Cardinal (3-2), who have lost two straight after an eight-game winning streak.
Stanford, which trailed by 12 points in the first half, stayed within reach in the second half and was down 72-68 with 1:15 left on a long jumper by John Gage.
Pressey took over from there, scoring the Tigers' last four points and assisting on the two before that.
Alex Oriakhi, who played in this tournament last season with Connecticut, had 13 points for Missouri. Oriakhi transferred after the season and did not have sit out a season because Connecticut was put on probation.
Earnest Ross had 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Tigers but he was 3 for 19 from the field and missed all five 3-point attempts.
Dwight Powell had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Cardinal while Gage added 10 points.
Randle was coming off a 2-for-16 effort from 3-point range in the loss to Belmont and he was 1 of 6 from there against Missouri. The Cardinal were 6 for 26 from beyond the arc while Missouri was 4 of 19.
