After close wins in its past two games, No. 11 Missouri marched to a painless 70-55 victory over Presbyterian Saturday.

Missouri (8-1) used a 21-4 run midway through the first half to seize control and win its third straight game. The Tigers never trailed in the contest, and were led by Kim English and Justin Safford, who both scored 14 points. Guard Phil Pressey added five and nine assists off the bench.

The Tigers built a 21-point halftime lead with a smothering defense that recorded nine steals and forced 19 Presbyterian turnovers.

Missouri converted the miscues into fast-break points, notching 23 assists and shooting 46.6 percent from the field.

Presbyterian (3-6) closed the deficit late in the second half after trailing by as many as 24 points.

Al’Lonzo Coleman had 10 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Blue Hose, who also got 14 points off the bench from forward Ryan Hargrave.