National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Missouri 78, Illinois 74
When: 9:00 PM ET, Thursday, December 22, 2011
Where: Scottrade Center, Saint Louis, Missouri
Officials: # John Higgins, # Bert Smith, # Mark Whitehead
Attendance: 22087

Phil Pressey scooped in a layup with 3.3 seconds left to secure a 78-74 win for Missouri over Illinois on Thursday at the Scottrade Center.

Missouri improved to 12-0 for the first time since the 1981-82 season. Illinois (11-2) has lost three straight meetings with the Tigers but still leads the series 27-15.

The Tigers overcame an off night from star Marcus Denmon, getting 20 points from Phil Pressey and 14 points from forward Ricardo Ratliffe.

Missouri grabbed control of the game early into the first half, going on an 18-2 run behind two 3-pointers from Denmon, who scored just eight in the game. The Tigers knocked down five of their seven 3-pointers in the first half.

Meyers Leonard’s massive ally-oop early into the second half lit a fire under the Illini, who exploded for a 21-6 run and battled back from 14 points down to take the lead with just under seven minutes remaining.

Leonard finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Illini while Joseph Bertrand scored a career-19 points in the loss.
Top Game Performances
 
Illinois   Missouri
Joseph Bertrand 19 Scoring Michael Dixon Jr. 18
Meyers Leonard 5 Assists Phil Pressey 5
Meyers Leonard 13 Rebounds Kim English 8
D.J. Richardson 5 Free Throws Made Michael Dixon Jr. 10
Meyers Leonard 2 Steals Matt Pressey 2
Meyers Leonard 2 Blocks Steve Moore 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Illinois 74 50.0 4-16 8-10 10 34 2 5 17
Missouri 78 44.1 7-19 19-23 13 28 4 7 13