Mizzou Men’s Basketball (4-3) started the game on a 12-0 run and eventually turned away Northern Illinois (7-1), 78–71, Friday night at Mizzou Arena, giving the Huskies their first loss of the season. Freshman guard Terrence Phillips (Orange County, Calif.) sparked the run with a three-pointer, three of his 13 points, marking the second game in a row that the Tigers have started off on a run of 12 points or more.
The Tigers were led by freshman forward Kevin Puryear (Blue Springs, Mo.) who scored 17 points, followed by Phillips, who also dished out six assists. Sophomore forward Jakeenan Gant (Springfield, Ga.) came off the bench and finished with 11 points and six rebounds. Junior forward Russell Woods (Chicago, Ill.) scored seven points within two minutes of game action early on in the second half and finished the game with nine points.
Northern Illinois fought back with a late surge in the first half, making it a one-point game at halftime. The back-and-forth action continued with a total of five lead changes throughout the beginning of the second half.
Mizzou took off on a 13-4 run with just under nine minutes to play. Sophomore guard Tramaine Isabell (Seattle, Wash.) started the scoring spree off with a three-pointer, while three other Tigers added buckets to give Mizzou a 10-point lead with just under seven minutes left in the contest.
Mizzou will play the final game of its three-game home stand on Wednesday, Dec. 9, against Omaha at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcasted lived on the SEC Network.
