COLUMBIA, Mo. — The University of Missouri men’s basketball team dominated both ends of the floor in its 72-44 win against Eastern Illinois, Tuesday night at Mizzou Arena. Kobe Brown led the effort with his third consecutive double-double, in addition to a career-high five steals.
“Happy to get a win,” said head coach Cuonzo Martin. “Happy to play a lot of guys and see them get an opportunity. I really enjoyed how Kobe played the game, and it’s not so much his production, but just really how he tries to lead now. He’s becoming more vocal in every game so it’s really fun to see him and then Anton makes shots on it.”
As a team, the Tigers shot a season-high 51 percent from the field, including 50 points in the paint. Mizzou dominated the glass, outrebounding the Panthers 42-21 and snagged a season-high 11 steals. The all-time series against Eastern Illinois moves to 4-1, with Mizzou winning its four games by an average of 20 points per contest.
Amari Davis and DaJuan Gordon led Mizzou offensively, scoring 15 and 14 apiece. 12 of Gordon’s points came in the second-half on 6-of-9 shooting. Brown contributed 11 points with Javon Pickett chipping in 10, as nine Tigers scored in the contest.
TURNING POINT
Down by two at the seven-minute mark of the first half, Gordon sank a layup to tie the game and jumpstart an 11-0 run, putting the Tigers ahead by nine. Mizzou finished the half on a 17-4 run, going up by double-digits. The Tigers’ lead would not slip below nine for the remainder of the game.
GAME NOTES
- Brown scored 11 points and grabbed 11 rebounds on 4-of-7 shooting. He ties for second in the SEC with four double-doubles on the season.
- Freshman Anton Brookshire had a breakthrough night, recording the Tigers’ two 3-pointers of the night on a way to a career-high eight points.
- Davis’ 15 points marks his sixth consecutive double-digit game, all with 14+ points.
- Pickett led the team with a career-high five assists.
- The Tigers held Eastern Illinois to zero fastbreak points, while recording 18 themselves.
- Mizzou shot 62 percent in the second half, with 36 of the team’s 40 points coming in the paint.
- Mizzou moves to 5-1 on the season when outrebounding its opponent.
UP NEXT
Mizzou looks toward a tough stretch of games through the month of December as the Tigers renew the HyVee Border Showdown Saturday, Dec. 11 in Lawrence, Kan. The game is scheduled for a 2:15 p.m. tip on ESPN.
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