Brendan Ross
FightingIllini.com
Ayo Dosunmu scored a career-high 36 points and Kofi Cockburn's 19 points and 6 rebounds, but No. 6 Illinois lost at Missouri, 81-78 on Saturday night in the annual Braggin' Rights game.
The Fighting Illini trailed by as many as 13 in the game, but had a chance to tie the game with under 10 seconds to play, but Dosunmu's three-pointer rimmed out. The second half was a rollercoaster ride for Illini fans, and put on display the powerful tandem of Dosunmu and Cockburn with the duo scoring 30 of Illinois' 35 second half.
The game was competitive from the opening tip, with each team getting off to a hot start. The Illini made their first three shots and the Tigers converted on their first four attempts. Dosunmu had the hot hand from the beginning, making his first five shots. Andre Curbelo contributed 12 points of his own in the half. Missouri was paced by Xavier Pinson with 11 first half points and Javon Pickett's 10 points.
Missouri took a 49-41 lead into the locker room at halftime after a foul-ridden first half. The Illini were called for 12 fouls while the Tigers had 14 of their own. Illinois struggled from the free-throw line, shooting only 53% (9-17) while Mizzou did not miss from the stripe (16-16).
Both teams came out cold to start the second half, struggling to make shots for the first four minutes. Missouri started to pull away, thanks to a 7-0 run that extended their lead to 13. Dosunmu then took over, leading the Illini on a 6-0 run of their own. Illinois fought their way back to within two points at the four-minute media timeout, due to continuous attacks of the basket by Dosunmu and two powerful dunks by Cockburn.
Illinois pulled close at the end of the game, but a flagrant one foul call on Cockburn with 40 seconds left allowed the Tigers to push their lead to three points.
DOSUNMU AND COCKBURN
The junior and sophomore combined for 55 of the Illini's 81 points on 21-of-30 shooting (70%).
Dosunmu took over in the second half, continuously attacking the rim and either converting or drawing fouls.
Cockburn scored 19 points of his own, including a few ferocious dunks that sparked the Illini's late push in the second half. He dominated the inside with a team-high six rebounds and a big first-half block.
FREE THROW AND 3-POINT STRUGGLES
The Illini had troubles at the free-throw line, making 17-of-28 in the game with only 9-17 in the first half. Misses from the stripe plagued Illinois in a game where the Tigers shot 84%.
Trent Frazier hit a key corner three during the Illini's comeback despite the team only shooting 3-13 (23%) from behind the arc on the night.
Coach Brad Underwood had this to say about his team's performance: "We were just flat. There was no life to anything that we did."
FORCED TURNOVERS AND FOULS
Illinois forced Missouri into 18 turnovers on the night, including many key steals late in the game.
Trent Frazier had a fantastic steal on an in-bounds pass late in the first half, leading to a beautiful behind the back pass to Curbelo for a bucket. Frazier followed that play up with an impactful charge taken a few possessions later. Da'Monte Williams also took a charge of his own.
Illinois had 25 personal fouls on the night, while Missouri had 27 of their own.
UP NEXT
Illinois welcomes Minnesota to Champaign on Tuesday night (12/15) to open their B1G Conference Schedule. The game will tip-off at 6 PM CT.
POSTGAME NOTES
• Junior Ayo Dosunmu scored a career-high 36 points, breaking the Braggin' Rights series scoring record of 33 set by Illinois' Andy Kaufmann in 1990.
• Dosunmu's 36 points ties the fifth-highest scoring performance in the NCAA this season.
• Dosunmu's 36 points also were the most by an Illini since Malcolm Hill scored 40 against Northern Kentucky on Nov. 13, 2016.
• Dosunmu shot 13-of-20, setting a career-high with 13 field goals. He also went 9-of-12 from the foul line, setting career bests for both free throws made and attempted.
• Sophomore Kofi Cockburn recorded a season-high 19 points on 8-of-10 FG. It marked Cockburn's highest scoring total in the last 18 games, dating back to Jan. 21, 2020 (22 points at Purdue).
• Freshman Andre Curbelo scored in double figures for the third straight game and fourth time in six games on the year, finishing with 14 points.
• This was Illinois' first trip to Columbia since Dec. 5, 1978. It was the first game in the Braggin' Rights series not to be played in St. Louis since Dec. 4, 1979 (Champaign).
• Illinois leads the all-time series over Missouri, 32-19.
