Kobe Brown scored 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds as Missouri held off Southeast Missouri State 96-89 Sunday in Columbia, Mo.
Sean East II had 21 points and six assists, D’Moi Hodge scored 15 points and Nick Honor had 11 points and four steals for Missouri (9-0).
Phillip Russell scored 26 points and had seven assists for Southeast Missouri State (5-4). Israel Barnes scored 21 points and Josh Earley added 15.
Missouri forced 18 turnovers and scored 31 points on the fast break. Southeast Missouri State stayed in the fast-paced game by hitting 13-of-16 shots from 3-point range.
Brown attacked the basket with two drives as Missouri forged a 13-6 lead took early control of the game. He drove the basket for a traditional 3-point play to push the Missouri lead to 30-18.
The Redhawks then caught fire from beyond arc with Russell, Barnes and Kobe Clark hitting long-range shots. Southeast Missouri used a 20-5 run to surge ahead 40-39.
The Tigers responded by scoring the last 11 points of the half to retake the lead 50-40. East and Brown converted fast-break layups off steals to start the run and Brown capped his 16-point first half with a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
The Tigers increased their margin to 65-47 with an 8-0 run capped by Honor’s corner 3-point shot. Southeast Missouri State bounced back with a 12-5 run triggered by Russell’s 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 70-59.
Missouri pushed back with a 12-4 surge with runout baskets by Hodge and East, but the Tigers could not pull away.
Barnes cut the Redhawks’ deficit to 93-87 with a 3-point jumper with 57 seconds left, but Southeast Missouri State could get no closer. Missouri guard Tre Gomillion iced the game with a steal with 22 seconds left.
–Field Level Media