Mizzou retains Braggin' Rights

ST. LOUIS -- Laurence Bowers made a four-point play with a layup and two free throws after an intentional foul with 40 seconds to go, fueling a huge final minute for No. 9 Missouri in a 75-64 victory over No. 21 Illinois on Wednesday night.

Marcus Denmon had 15 points and Bowers added 13 for the Tigers (11-1), who won the Braggin' Rights game for the second straight year after dropping the previous nine. Justin Safford added 11 points.

Mike Davis had 17 points for Illinois (10-3), which has dropped two straight after getting upset by Illinois-Chicago on Saturday. Mike Tisdale, who committed the intentional foul when he pushed Bowers from behind, had 13 rebounds and nine points.

The Tigers scored eight points in a 9-second span of the final minute, going up by nine, and outscored Illinois 21-7 over the final 3 minutes, 16 seconds.

Bowers' four-point play came only two seconds after D.J. Richardson's 3-pointer off a turnover by Illinois' Michael Dixon tied it at 61-61. Denmon took the inbounds pass shy of midcourt and whipped it ahead to Bowers for a layup, and Tisdale was called for the intentional foul after putting both hands on Bowers' back under the basket.

Denmon was wide open for a layup on the ensuing inbounds pass one second later and Bowers made one free throw after a technical on Illinois coach Bruce Weber to make it 70-61 with 30.7 seconds to go.

Denmon missed his first five shots but his 3-pointer with 25 seconds to go in the half tied it at 27. Missouri scored the last seven points of the half and extended the run to 15-2 early in the second half, going ahead 35-29.

Davis scored nine of the first 13 points for Illinois, which led by eight points with just over eight minutes to go. Illinois had 14 offensive rebounds in the half but shot just 30.8 percent. Missouri was a little bit better at 34.5 but with 10 fewer shots.