|
Sophomore guard Javon Pickett, who initially
signed a letter of intent with Illinois, contributed a
season-high 17 points, while sophomore guard Xavier Pinson added
14 for Missouri (7-4). The Tigers held Illinois 25 points below
its season average to claim the contentious border rivalry game
for the second year in a row.
Sophomore guard Ayo Dosunmu posted a game-high 21 points for
Illinois (8-4). Center Kofi Cockburn, who entered the game as
the only freshman in the country averaging a double-double,
posted 13 points and two rebounds. Illinois finished with a
season-low point total as it made just 10 field goals in the
final 28-plus minutes of the game.
The Illini grabbed a 19-13 lead as sophomore forward Giorgi
Bezhanishvili fed Cockburn for a layup and Dosunmu picked off a
Mark Smith pass for a breakaway layup with 8:26 left in the
first half.
Missouri hit just four of its first 17 shots, but they rallied
to grab a 26-23 halftime edge. Pinson started the Tigers' rally
by making a 27-footer with the shot clock expiring. When Smith
cashed a pair of free throws with 2:54 left in the half,
Missouri took a 22-21 lead -- its first since the game's early
moments.
Missouri extended its lead at the outset of the second half and
owned a 39-28 margin with 13:39 left when Illinois entered the
bonus. The Illini quickly slashed the margin to 39-33 on two
free throws by sophomore guard Alan Griffin and a 3-pointer by
junior guard Trent Frazier, but the Tigers answered with eight
straight capped by Pickett's flying tip-in.
Missouri's lead stood at 51-37 with 6:14 left. Illinois used
full-court pressure to get as close as 57-52 on Dosunmu's leaner
in the lane with 59 seconds left, but Smith and the Tigers
closed out the win at the free-throw line.
--Field Level Media
[© 2019 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2019 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
 |
|
