Missouri overcame a sloppy first half to hand Northern Illinois its first loss of the year in a 78-71 game in Columbia on Friday.

The Tigers (4-3) were led in scoring by freshman Kevin Puryear, who finished with 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Missouri guard Terrance Phillips added 13 points and six assists.

For the second-straight game, Missouri held its opponent scoreless for the first five minutes of the game as Northern Illinois (7-1) missed its first 10 shots, falling behind 12-0 just over four minutes after tip.

The Huskies would rebound, however, as Missouri turned the ball over 11 times in the first half. The Huskies turned those mistakes into 14 points.

Behind 13 first-half bench points from freshman guard Marshawn Wilson, Northern Illinois trailed 27-26 at halftime.

Wilson finished with 24 points, and went 10-for-10 from the free-throw line.

In the second half, Missouri turned the ball over just five times and finished the game shooting 54-percent from the field, including 40-percent from 3-point range.

With the game tied 41-41 at the 12:58 mark, Missouri went on a 19-9 run to provide some breathing room.

Missouri and Northern Illinois each had four players in double figures.