Unlike the past three iterations of Braggin’ Rights, Sunday’s contest between Mizzou and Illinois was close throughout.
While Mizzou put up a valiant fight, the Illini took their third win in the last four matchups, exiting St. Louis with a thrilling 80-77 victory.
The final 10 minutes of action were a microcosm of the previous 30: both teams trading big scoring runs. Illinois went on a 10-2 run to take a 10-point lead with 6:33 remaining. The Tigers immediately responded with an 11-0 run; a Trent Pierce layup gave MU a 68-67 lead with 4:13 left.
“The thing that we didn’t do is hang our head, and we kept fighting,” head coach Dennis Gates said.