Another slow, flat start plagued Missouri (5-4) on Tuesday night, as the Tigers took on Eastern Illinois (2-8), a team with all of zero Division I wins this season. Early turnovers and poor shooting to open the game put the Tigers in a situation where they trailed the Panthers midway through the first half.
However, two threes from Springfield Kickapoo freshman Anton Brookshire — the first of his college career — and solid defense helped the Tigers turn the tide as the first half wound down. A 5:16 scoring drought from the Panthers allowed Missouri to close the first on a 17-2 run, and the Tigers never let Eastern Illinois back into it.