Marcus Denmon looks for help as he's guarded by a Notre Dame defender. MU Athletics
Kansas City native Marcus Denmon put on a show for over two dozen family and friends Monday night at the Sprint Center, scoring 26 points to lead #21 Mizzou to an 87-58 win over Notre Dame in the semifinals of the CBE Classic.
Phil Pressey added 17 for the Tigers who shot 63.3% from the field as Mizzou jumped out to a 52-37 halftime lead. A quick 6-0 run to open the half put the game away as the Tigers will now face #18 California who buried Georgia (a division foe next season) 70-46.
Ricardo Ratliffe added 12 points and Kim English had 10 for Missouri, 4-0 on the season. Getting the big guy Ratliffe involved in the game is what coach Frank Haith wanted to see.
“We played great today. I mean it’s just one game, but we played very well tonight. We’ve got guys that are gifted offensively. The numbers that jump out at me – we’re plus 14 on the boards, this team was minus five on the boards last year. (Notre Dame) shot 37 percent in the game – those are numbers that excite me. And we didn’t just shoot a lot of three’s. We only shot 11 three’s in the game, but 44 points in the paint. Those are things I’m excited about because I do know this team can shoot the ball from the three very well, but in terms of their talent, we’ve got good offensive talent.”
