Junior guard Grace Slaughter led the Tigers with 19 points and 10 rebounds, picking up her third double-double of the season. Lisa Thompson added a season-high 11 points with four assists, and Shannon Dowell finished with nine points and seven boards.
Illinois jumped out to an early eight-point lead before Mizzou trimmed the deficit to 14-10 after the first quarter. The Tigers briefly pulled within one behind a 7-0 run in the second, but the Illini answered and took a 34-26 lead into halftime.
Mizzou opened the night making its first eight free throws, extending a streak of 31 straight makes dating back to the Dec. 4 win over Cal, the program’s longest such run since the 2000-01 season.
The Tigers surged again in the third. Ashton Schreacke hit back-to-back threes, and later Thompson and Slaughter knocked down consecutive triples to cut the margin to two. Dowell’s layup in the closing seconds sent Mizzou into the fourth trailing 50-47.
A 3-pointer from Chloe Sotell pulled the Tigers within one with under five minutes left, but Illinois held on at the free-throw line to seal the win. Mizzou won the rebounding battle 36-34, led by Sotell’s season-high nine boards.
Up Next:
Mizzou travels to Saint Louis on Sunday for a 2 p.m. tip at Chaifetz Arena. The game streams on ESPN+.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady® NSI