Illinois dealt first loss of season by Mizzou

December 22, 2012, 7:55 pm

ASSOCIATED PRESS

ST. LOUIS (AP) Laurence Bowers had 23 points and 10 rebounds to lead No. 12 Missouri over No. 10 Illinois 82-73 in the annual Braggin' Rights game on Saturday.

Alex Oriakhi added 13 points and 14 rebounds as Missouri (10-1) won its fourth straight in the 32-year-old series. Jabari Brown had 18 points and Phil Pressey handed out 11 assists.

Brandon Paul led Illinois (12-1) with 23 points. Tyler Griffey scored 14, Joseph Bertrand had 13 and Nnanna Egwu 12 for the Illini.

Missouri used a 9-0 run late in the game to take the lead for good at 70-64. Brown led the spurt with four points.

The Tigers held a 58-35 edge on the boards and outscored Illinois 44-24 in the paint.

Illinois, which leads the overall series 20-12, won nine meetings in a row from 2000-08.

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Tags: Brandon Paul, Illinois Fighting Illini, Tracy Abrams, DJ Richardson, Phil Pressey, Tyler Griffey, Alex Oriakhi, Laurence Bowers, Earnest Ross