COLUMBIA, Mo. — Kobe Brown made 9 of 12 from the field and finished with 25 points and eight rebounds to help Missouri beat Southeast Missouri State 96-89 Sunday.
Brown made 2 of 3 from 3-point range and added four assists and four steals. Sean East II added 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting with six assists and four steals for Missouri (9-0), D'Moi Hodge scored 15 points and Nick Honor had 11 points and four steals. The Tigers are off to their best start since winning the first 10 games of the 2013-14 season.
East hit a jumper in the lane and made a layup before Brown threw down two dunks and then hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to cap an 11-0 run that gave Missouri a 10-point halftime lead. Israel Barnes converted a three-point play and hit a 3-pointer in the opening seconds of the second half for the Redhawks but Brown answered with a 3 to spark a 12-1 run that made it 65-47 with 14:35 to play. Brow
Phillip Russell hit five 3-pointers and led Southeast Missouri State (5-4) with 26 points. Barnes finished with 21 points and Josh Earley scored 15 on 7-of-9 shooting.
The Redhawks shot 54% (34 of 63) from the field and hit 13 of 26 from 3-point range but made just 8 of 15 (53%) from the free-throw line.
Barnes hit two 3-pointers in a 16-6 run that trimmed Southeast Missouri State's deficit to 93-87 with 57 seconds left but the Redhawks got no closer.
The Tigers scored 29 points off 18 Southeast Missouri State turnovers, including 14 Missouri steals.
Southeast Missouri State returns home to play Wednesday against Fort Wayne and Missouri plays No. 9 Kansas Saturday at home.
