COLUMBIA, Mo. — Behind junior Kobe Brown’s third career double-double, and an underwhelming fan base in attendance, Mizzou men’s basketball defeated Northern Illinois, 54-37, Thursday night at Mizzou Arena. Brown and sophomores Jordan Wilmore and Ronnie DeGray III accounted for 34 points.
Brown led the way on both sides of the floor, with a game high 13 points and 13 rebounds, in addition to a career-high four blocks. Wilmore had a career night, scoring a personal-best 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting, six rebounds and three blocks.
The stout defense held the Northern Illinois (1-2) to just six points in the paint and NIU’s lowest point total since 2013. Mizzou finished the ballgame playing shut-down ball, holding Northern Illinois to five points in the final 10 minutes.
Following a tightly-contested battle through the first 10 minutes of the second half, the Tigers pushed away with a 12-0 run to push the lead to double digits. Wilmore led the way during the run with six points, two dunks and a layup. Mizzou finished out the contest on a 24-5 run.
Mizzou heads to Jacksonville, Fla. for the on-site portion of the Jacksonville Classic. The Tigers kick off action Sunday at 7 p.m. CT against SMU and will play a final game on Monday against either Florida State or LMU.