Mizzou Decimates No. 16 Illinois Behind 31 from Kobe Brown

The Missouri Tigers secured the best win so far in the coach Dennis Gates era with a blowout over No. 16 Illinois on Thursday.

The Missouri Tigers are hardly in a vacation mindset in the middle of the holidays.

Headed into one of their biggest games of the season in a renewed rivalry matchup with the No. 16 Illinois Fighting Illini at Enterprise Center Thursday night, the Tigers clearly understood what it would take to come away with a win.

But even the Tigers probably didn't see this kind of blowout coming.

Mizzou (11-1) dominated from start to finish on both ends of the floor, led by as many as 35 and cruised to a pre-Christmas win in a 93-71 decimation over Illinois (8-4).

The Tigers were paced by efficient scoring efforts from Kobe Brown (31 points, eight assists, five rebounds) and D'Moi Hodge (20 points). Mizzou went a blistering 59.3 percent from the floor and forced 17 turnovers.

Illinois was led by Terrence Shannon Jr. (22 points, seven rebounds) and Matthew Mayer (16 points). The Illini shot just 7 of 31 from 3-point range and had only 10 assists.

Need an idea of how hot the Tigers were in the first half? Look no further than Hodge's desperation 3 off the glass that highlighted a 20-2 run for Mizzou at the 6:27 mark, which gave the team a 30-14 lead.

The Illini cut into the run, but Hodge continued to push the pace with a layup in transition a few possessions later.

The Tigers built a 37-17 lead with four minutes left in the half. It was already all Mizzou, but a 3-pointer from Ronnie DeGray to make it a 49-23 lead with under a minute left in the left created a frenzy in the stands for the black and gold.

Brown stayed hot in the second half, as he had eight points in the first four minutes, which included a pair of 3s.

Mizzou guard Tre Gomillion had back-to-back dunks a few minutes after, further how easy things were coming for the Tigers.

But even improved shot-making from Illinois was hardly enough to make a dent in the deficit. The Tigers continued to cruise to the finish line in what is undoubtedly the best win so far in the Dennis Gates era.

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You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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