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Scoreboard

jordan wilmore
37
Northern Ill. NIU 1-2,0-0 MAC
54
Winner Missouri Mizzou 2-1,0-0 SEC
Northern Ill. NIU
1-2,0-0 MAC
37
Final
54
Missouri Mizzou
2-1,0-0 SEC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Northern Ill. NIU 21 16 37
Missouri Mizzou 24 30 54

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Mizzou's Defense Stifles Northern Illinois

Tigers hold Huskies to 37 points, the fewest for a Mizzou opponent since 2019.

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Behind junior Kobe Brown's third career double-double, Mizzou men's basketball defeated Northern Illinois, 54-37, Thursday night at Mizzou Arena. Brown and sophomores Jordan Wilmore and Ronnie DeGray III accounted for 34 points.

Brown led the way on both sides of the floor, with a game high 13 points and 13 rebounds, in addition to a career-high four blocks. Wilmore had a career night, scoring a personal-best 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting, six rebounds and three blocks.

The stout defense held the Northern Illinois (1-2) to just six points in the paint and NIU's lowest point total since 2013. Mizzou finished the ballgame playing shut-down ball, holding Northern Illinois to five points in the final 10 minutes.

"You're just trying to get better," said head coach Cuonzo Martin. "You're a new team with so many good guys. This is a great step. We'll celebrate tonight, watch a lot of film tonight, but it's just one game at a time."

Turning Point

Following a tightly-contested battle through the first 10 minutes of the second half, the Tigers pushed away with a 12-0 run to push the lead to double digits. Wilmore led the way during the run with six points, two dunks and a layup. Mizzou finished out the contest on a 24-5 run.

Top Tigers

  • Brown recorded his first double-double since his 21 and 10 performance against LSU (3/6/21).

  • On top of a career-high 11 points, Wilmore's breakout night included career highs in rebounds (6), blocks (3) and minutes (16).

  • DeGray finished in double-figures for the third-consecutive game this season. He finished the contest with 10 points going a perfect 6-for-6 night at the foul line.

Game Notes

  • The Tiger defense held the Huskies to 21 points in the first half, the least allowed since Dec. 22, 2020 against Bradley.

  • It is the first time Mizzou held an opponent to less than 25% shooting since Arkansas Pine-Bluff on Dec. 29, 2015.

  • Mizzou is now 14-2 all-time against current MAC schools, including 3-0 all-time against Northern Illinois

Up Next

Mizzou heads to Jacksonville, Fla. for the on-site portion of the Classic. The Tigers kick off action Sunday at 7 p.m. CT against SMU and will play a final game on Monday against either Florida State or LMU.

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