ST. LOUIS – Phil Pressey had 18 points, five assists and two steals, and No. 9 Missouri held off a second-half charge by No. 25 Illinois for a 78-74 victory in the annual Braggin' Rights game on Thursday night.
Reserve Michael Dixon added 18 points and Ricardo Ratliffe had 14 for Missouri, which squandered a 13-point cushion before recovering late. The Tigers have won three straight in the series and they're 12-0 for the first time since a 19-0 start in 1981-82.
Joseph Bertrand came in off the bench and had a career-high 19 points on 9-for-9 shooting for Illinois (11-2) in its second loss in three games. Brandon Paul had 19 points and nine rebounds.
Illinois led 70-68 after three free throws by D.J. Richardson with 2:01 to go, but Missouri answered with seven straight points.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.