ST. LOUIS - When Missouri forward Ricardo Ratliffe picked up his second foul at the 10:38 mark of the first half of Thursday's game against Illinois, it looked like the Fighting Illini had a chance to expose the Tigers' already thin front line.
But forward Steve Moore had other ideas.
Moore tussled with 7-1 Illini center Meyers Leonard for 12 key minutes in the first half, helping to hold the possible future first-round NBA draft pick to just four points and three rebounds during the first 20 minutes of play. Moore's play helped the ninth-ranked Tigers to a 41-30 halftime advantage and an eventual 78-74 victory.
"Steve gave us a tremendous lift there in the first half, the stuff that doesn't show up in the stat sheet," Missouri coach Frank Haith said.