Jason Crowe Jr. scored 17 points and dished six assists to lead Missouri to a 69-64 win over Marquette on Sunday in Chicago.
Five players scored in double figures for the Tigers (3-1), accounting for all but four of their total points. Trent Pierce scored 13 with eight rebounds, Toni Bryant also scored 13 and had three blocks, Kennard Davis Jr. had 12 points and Jamier Jones added 10.
Nigel James Jr. led Marquette (2-2) with 11 points on 5-of-18 shooting along with 11 assists, six rebounds and five steals. Royce Parham added nine points and nine rebounds. All 10 Marquette players who saw the floor scored at least three points.
After a sluggish start for both teams, Marquette found some offensive rhythm late in the first half, rattling off an 8-0 run. James provided a fastbreak dunk and a layup as the Golden Eagles went into halftime leading 38-30.
The Golden Eagles maintained that lead for a good portion of the second half, holding an 11-point edge with 7:36 to play despite struggling to make shots.
That was the turning point for Missouri. The Tigers went on a 10-0 run to cut the lead to one and eventually turned it into a 14-2 run to grab the lead on Davis’ 3-pointer with 3:23 to play.
That run coincided with Marquette big man Sananda Fru fouling out with 4:14 to play, leaving the Golden Eagles without a key cog in the paint.
It was a three-point game in Missouri’s favor with just 16 seconds to play before Pierce converted a layup and foul shot to give the Tigers a 67-61 lead, enough to hold on for the win.
Marquette is now 0-7 against Power Four nonconference opponents in the last two seasons, including 0-5 last season and 0-2 in the last week against Michigan and Missouri.
–Field Level Media
