ST. LOUIS – University of Missouri men’s basketball came up short, 80-77, in McBride Home Braggin’ Rights against Illinois Sunday afternoon inside Enterprise Center with 18,497 fans. The Tigers saw their 10-game winning streak snapped and are now 10-2 on the season, while the Illini improve to 8-3.
MIZZOU LEADERS
Graduate Tony Perkins and junior Mark Mitchell led the way for the Tigers. Both players tied the team-best with 18 points and six rebounds. Perkins did so on 5-for-11 shooting, while Mitchell did so on 6-for-12 shooting
Senior Tamar Bates chipped in 17 points and tied a team-best three steals in the contest.
GAME RECAP
Missouri found itself in a back-and-forth battle early, led by five early points from Mitchell. The Illini got hot from beyond-the-arc as the frame drew on, however, an eight-point run by Missouri helped the Tigers take a late first-half lead, highlighted by a Perkins slam. Illinois answered back with a spurt of their own to take a five-point lead into the break, 37-32.
The back-and-forth action continued in the second as the teams traded runs, leading to the Illini lead shifting between two and eight points for the first 13 minutes. Missouri cut the lead down to two at the halfway point of the second frame, capped by a Perkins putback jam but on each of three occasions that the Tigers pulled within two, Illinois responded with two points each time.
Illinois finally gained a little separation and pushed their lead to 10 before Missouri answered with an 11-0 spurt of their own – highlighted by a Jacob Crews 3-pointer and a Trent Pierce layup, which gave the Tigers a one-point advantage, 68-67, with 4:13 remaining.
It all set up an exciting finish between the two rivals. Bates tied the game at 75, connecting on a triple with 74 seconds remaining. Both teams then hit a pair of free throws before Illinois took the lead for good with a jumper with 45 seconds left. The Tigers had one final chance to send the game into overtime but their 3-point attempt as time expired missed for the 80-77 final tally.
TEAM STATS
Missouri finished the game shooting 39.7 percent from the field, while Illinois converted 43.9 percent of its field goals. The Tigers went 28-for-37 from the free-throw line, while Illinois cashed in from the stripe to the tune of 22-for-23.
The Tigers forced Illinois into 17 turnovers, winning the fastbreak battle, 16-8. The Illini outrebounded Mizzou, 42-30, taking advantage of the glass for 11 second-chance points in the first half and 13 overall.
UP NEXT
The Tigers host Alabama State Monday, December 30 at 6:30 p.m. The contest is set for SEC Network+.
