Mizzou Beats Howard 88-67 in Season Opener

College basketball opened Monday with Missouri beating Howard 88-67, Saint Louis University topping Southeast Missouri State 92-67, and Illinois routing Jackson State 113-55, with the Illini hitting 17 three-pointers as Tomislav Ivisic and Ben Humrichous scored 21 apiece. Missouri's win featured strong debuts from transfers Shawn Phillips Jr. (16 points, 11 rebounds) and Jayden Stone (13 points, three 3s), but the Tigers committed 16 turnovers and showed defensive lapses that were steadied late by a matchup zone. Missouri was without Trent Pierce and Annor Boateng due to lower-body injuries; coach Dennis Gates stressed team depth and said other players' recoveries will be monitored. In high-school wrestling, the OVAC preseason workshop announced three new head coaches (Tino Kusic, Matt McFarland and Garrett Railing), set the Ron Mauck Championships for Jan. 15–17 at WesBanco Arena, offered $1 student tickets and warned of an urgent need for officials. At the collegiate wrestling level, No. 25 Wyoming beat No. 1 Western Wyoming CC 39-7 with multiple bonus-point wins from Sefton Douglass and Christian Carroll, and Minot State's Gavin Turk won the 174-pound title at the Jimmie Open as the Beavers prepare for the Dakota Wesleyan Open on Nov. 8.