CHICAGO – The Mizzou men’s basketball team earned a 69-64 victory over Marquette in the Legends Classic on Sunday afternoon at Chicago’s United Center. The Tigers improve to 3-1 on the season, while the Golden Eagles fall to 2-2.
MIZZOU LEADERS
Freshman Jason Crowe Jr. earned Most Outstanding Player honors and led all scorers with 17 points, including 10 in the final 2:30 of the contest. Crowe also paced the Tigers with six assists.
Senior Trent Pierce and freshman Toni Bryant each added 13 points. Pierce led Mizzou with eight rebounds and recorded two steals, while Bryant shot a perfect 4-for-4 from the field and added a team-high three blocks.
Senior Kennard Davis Jr. contributed 12 points, knocking down two of his three attempts from beyond the arc. Sophomore Jamier Jones rounded out the Tigers' top scorers with 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field.
GAME RECAP
Both teams showcased strong defensive play to open the contest, with Mizzou forcing four turnovers in the first five minutes. Pierce opened the scoring for the Tigers with Mizzou's first four points. The two teams traded baskets over the ensuing minutes before Davis knocked down a 3-pointer to even the score at 11.
After falling behind the Golden Eagles, 16-11, the Tigers responded with a 13-7 run sparked by an alley-oop from Aaron Rowe to Jones. Pierce capped the stretch with a triple, giving Mizzou a one-point lead with five minutes remaining in the first half.
Marquette answered back with a run of their own though, finishing the first period with eight unanswered points to give the Golden Eagles a 38-30 lead at halftime.
Bryant opened the second half with a 3-pointer from the corner to get the Tigers' offense rolling. Minutes later, Bryant brought the crowd to its feet with a thunderous alley-oop slam off a pass from Rowe, cutting the deficit to 43-39 with 15 minutes remaining.
Mizzou’s offense then went quiet before Jones sparked a 10-point run with a driving layup. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Pierce and Crowe Jr., followed by a dunk from Bryant, brought the Tigers within one, 52-51, with five minutes to go in the game.
Davis then knocked down his second three-pointer of the night to give Mizzou its first second-half lead with just over three minutes remaining.
On the next possession, Crowe Jr. finished through contact in the paint and converted the free throw to complete a three-point play, giving Mizzou a 58-55 lead.
With one minute remaining, the game was tied at 60 before Crowe Jr. connected on another 3-pointer from the corner to put Mizzou in front. The freshman came up clutch down the stretch, scoring 10 points in the final 2:30 of the contest – including eight-straight points for Mizzou after the score was knotted at 55, giving the Tigers a lead they would not relinquish.
Mizzou's defense stood tall in the closing seconds, forcing back-to-back turnovers on Marquette out-of-bounds plays, including a steal by Pierce that led to a coast-to-coast and-one finish to push the Tigers' lead to six. Mizzou converted its free throws down the stretch to seal the 69-64 victory.
GAME STATS
Missouri made 51.0 percent of its field-goal attempts with a 7-for-17 (41.2%) clip from behind the arc, while holding Marquette to 2-10 (20%) from three point land. Mizzou also led in the assist department with an 18-17 advantage and in rebounding, 33-31.
UP NEXT
The Tigers return to Mizzou Arena on Wednesday night, hosting Alcorn State. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. on SEC Network.