Senior center Jeremiah Tilmon converted a three-point play with one second remaining on the second half clock, giving the 13th ranked Missouri Tigers a dramatic 54-53 win over Bradley on Tuesday night at Mizzou Arena in Columbia. Missouri rallied from a late-game eight point hole with a 6-0 run over the final 93 seconds of regulation, improving to 6-0 on the season, while dropping the Braves to 6-3.
The game-winning play for the Tigers found point guard Xavier Pinson tossing the ball to Tilmon, who spun to the rim and finished the play through contact delivered by Elijah Childs. Bradley had one second, after the three-point play, to grab the win back, but forward Mitchell Smith knocked away a pair of passes from Bradley to clinch the contest.
Tilmon finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds for Missouri, with Pinson pacing the Tigers with 15 points. Childs led Bradley, the two-time defending Missouri Valley tournament champions, with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
While Missouri won in non-conference play on Tuesday night, archrival Kansas won in more convincing fashion, 79-65 over West Virginia at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence. Christian Braun led the Jayhawks with 22 points, with Jalen Wilson contributing 17, Marcus Garrett 15, and Ochai Agbaji 11. KU is now 8-1 overall, and 2-0 in the Big 12.
