Neither team started out strong on offense, with Xavier shooting 3-8 from the field with 15:32 in the first half, while Missouri shot only 1-6. It was enough, however, for Xavier to lead 7-3 at that point.
Missouri would bounce back, countering a 9-0 Xavier run with a 10-0 run of their own. The Tigers led 13-9 with 11:44 left in the first half after making four straight field goals. Missouri’s run would extend to 17-0, and they led 20-9 with 10:23 left in the first half, which prompted a Steele timeout.
The Musketeers would cut the lead down to 22-16 before Missouri responded to push their lead to 25-16 with 7:03 remaining in the first half.