Tilmon leads Missouri men's basketball to 65-45 victory over outmanned UT Arlington

Missouri's Jeremiah Tilmon, left, and Texas-Arlington's Andres Ibarguen battle for a rebound during Tuesday's game in Columbia, Missouri.

L.G. Patterson ~ Associated Press

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Jeremiah Tilmon posted 10 points and 12 rebounds -- his second double-double this season -- to lead Missouri to a 65-45 victory over UT Arlington on Tuesday night.

The 6-foot-10 Tilmon took advantage of an undersized UTA frontcourt. The tallest players in the Mavericks' starting lineup -- Andres Ibarguen and Patrick Mwamba -- are each 6 foot 5. The sophomore forward has been heating up, and has now scored double-digits in each of his last three contests.

Tilmon also shot 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. He shot just 52 percent from the charity stripe last year, but has upped that percentage to 80 percent this season.

"Last year, I took three dribbles and paused for four or five seconds," Tilmon said. "Now, I just take two dribbles and go right into my rhythm."

Missouri freshman Torrence Watson added a season-high 12 points. Watson made 3 of 6 3-point attempts. He entered the game shooting just 27.6 percent from beyond the arc.

"He's been putting extra time in, I think that helps," Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin said. "I think with any guy who shoots the ball, you like to see the ball go in, and it went in for him."

The Tigers came into the contest shooting 38.2 percent from 3, tops in the Southeastern Conference. Missouri (5-3) shot 9-for-25 from 3-point range against the Mavericks, who entered the game holding opponents to just 27.2 percent from beyond the arc.

UTA (3-6) struggled all game to establish offensive flow, turning the ball over 21 times and shooting 39 percent from the field. After starting the season 3-3, the Tigers have won two in a row with a chance to make it three on Friday against Oral Roberts at home.

Freshman focus

Along with Watson's solid night, Missouri freshman guard Javon Pickett scored 10 points. He shot 2-for-6 from distance. Missouri's newcomers scored 34 of the team's 65 points. Pickett said the team's freshman class is feeling good.

Santos cleared

Martin said postgame that Missouri sophomore transfer K.J. Santos is cleared to play for the Tigers and will likely play Friday against Oral Roberts. Santos -- a 6-foot-8 guard -- averaged 7.1 points and 4.2 rebounds in 24.5 minutes per game as a freshman for Illinois-Chicago in 2016-17.