COLUMBIA, MO.– Mizzou Men’s Basketball claimed a third consecutive Braggin’ Rights win, downing No. 6 Illinois, 81-87, on Saturday night at Mizzou Arena. The Tigers earned their first victory over a Top 10 team since beating No. 5 Florida in 2014.
Mizzou has won three straight Braggin’ Rights games under head coach Cuonzo Martin, its longest streak in the series since 2009-12. The Tigers improved to 5-0 for the 27th time in program history, and the first time since 2013-14.
Redshirt senior Dru Smith scored a team-high 18 points in 39 minutes to lead four Tigers in double figures. He finished with two steals and took a pair of key charges down the stretch to seal the win.
Junior Xavier Pinson posted 17 points and a team-high 5 assists, going 6-for-13 from the floor and shooting 80 percent from the charity stripe. Junior guard Javon Pickett added 14 points while sophomore Kobe Brown tallied 12 points and had a game-high of eight rebounds.
After Mizzou built a 13-point lead, Illinois came back to the tie game. The Tigers got stops in the final minutes and used clutch free throws to secure the win. Mizzou made 26-of-31 at the charity stripe.
Turning Point
After Illinois erased a 13-point deficit to tie the score at 76-76, Mitchell Smith converted a pair of free throws. Onn the next possession, Dru Smith took a charge to give Mizzou the ball back and Xavier Pinson capitalized, draining a contested floater to push the Tigers in front by four. Mizzou staved off the Illini in the final 50 seconds to finish off a third straight Braggin’ Rights win.
Top Tigers
- Redshirt senior Dru Smith led the team with 18 points, three assists, and a pair of rebounds and steals.
- Junior Xavier Pinson fueled the offensive attack with 17 points and five dimes on the night.
- Sophomore Kobe Brown tallied half of his 12 points from beyond the arc and finished with a game-high of eight rebounds.
- Junior Javon Pickett put up 14 points, while going 6-for-8 from the field, along with a pair of free throws and sagged five boards.
Game Notes
- Tonight’s win improves the Tigers to 5-0, the 27th 5-0 start in program history, and first since 2013-14. That team went on to start the year 10-0.
- Saturday’s win was Mizzou’s second against Illinois when the Illini have been ranked in the AP Top 10, and the first since the 1955-56 season.
- This marks Mizzou’s first campaign with multiple wins against ranked non-conference opponents since the 2011-2012 season (No. 20 California, No. 25 Illinois).
- The Tigers led the game for 35:50, marking the fourth game this season Mizzou led for 35+ minutes.
- The Tigers’ 49 first-half points were their most in an opening period this season.
- Drew Buggs scored his first points as a Tiger with a driving layup in traffic in the second half.
- Dru Smith dished three dimes on the night, extending his streak to 78 consecutive games with an assist. He has 48 multi-assist outings in his last 50 games.
- The Tigers made a season-high 26 free throws and shot a season-best 83.9 percent from the charity stripe.
