Mizzou basketball prevails over No. 6 Illinois in close, thrilling Braggin’ Rights
The Missouri Tigers built up a large lead, and while Illinois whittled it down in an exciting finish and a last-second look to tie it, MU prevailed 81-78 on Saturday at Mizzou Arena.
The Tigers had a 13-point lead midway through the second half, but the Illini stormed back and equalized it with just minutes remaining.
Illinois was down three points inside 10 seconds left with a chance to tie, but guard Ayo Dosunmu heaved up an off-balance shot as the Tigers grabbed the rebound and the win.
MU won its third straight game over the Illini in the annual Braggin’ Rights rivalry. It was the first time MU had defeated a top-10 opponent at home since February 2014, a win over No. 5 Florida.
“Great Saturday night game,” MU coach Cuonzo Martin said. “High level from both sides. Physical game. Both teams played hard. Both teams defend. Ayo is as good as any guard I’ve seen in a long time attacking downhill.”
Mizzou showed off its depth while showcasing a balanced scoring attack. Four Tigers finished in double figures, led by Dru Smith with 18 points.
That was a sharp contrast to how Illinois scored. Dosunmu played like a man possessed with 36 points as the Tigers couldn’t stay in front of him. That left the Illini one-dimensional. When Illinois was rallying back it was getting contributors. But the Illini fell short right at the end.
Just like last year, Mizzou won the rebounding margin 35-26 over Illinois. The Tigers are set to be back in action at 7 p.m. Dec. 18 against Prairie View A&M at Mizzou Arena.
“They’ve been resilient,” Martin said of his players. “They’ve shown a tremendous amount of grit and fight and I’m happy for them.”
This story was originally published December 12, 2020 at 9:38 PM.