COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) - Dee Davis scored 17 points and Myles Davis and Brandon Randolph added 11 apiece to lead Xavier past Missouri 74-58 on Saturday.
The Musketeers (8-2) led just 44-41 with 11:36 remaining after Tramaine Isabell's layup for Missouri, but Xavier responded with an 11-2 run and gradually pulled away in the team's first true road game of the season.
Johnathan Williams III led Missouri (5-5) with 17 points and nine rebounds while Jakeenan Gant added 13 in his first appearance of the year. The freshman missed the Tigers' first nine games while the school investigated his eligibility regarding "receipt of benefits."
Xavier entered the contest leading the Big East with 83.1 points per game and shooting 52.6 percent from the field. The Musketeers looked like they would come short of matching those figures before starting their second-half run.
The Musketeers finished 24 of 45 (53.3 percent) overall, including 8 of 18 from 3-point range, and 18 of 22 from the free-throw line.
Xavier looked like it would run away early.
Missouri converted just one of its first 10 shots and trailed 18-5 with 9:36 remaining before the break. But the Tigers rallied, clawing back to within 32-27 at halftime thanks to a 7-0 run and Gant.
A 6-foot-8 forward and former Mr. Basketball in the state of Georgia, Gant elicited the game's biggest roars, the first of which came when he entered the game with 8:51 left in the first half. He proceeded to score seven points before the break and another six after it.
Missouri finished 21 of 54 from the field, including just 1 of 16 from behind the arc. The Tigers entered the game making 39.6 percent of their 3-pointers, good for second in the Southeastern Conference.
Follow News Tribune sports reporter Brandon Foster on Twitter for updates during games. And read his followup coverage in Sunday's newspaper and posted online.