Heading up to Ames, Iowa has never been an easy road game to play for Missouri and yesterday was no exception as the Cyclones did everything they could to limit the looks Marcus Denmon would get. However, the 9th ranked Tigers found a way to prevail, handing Iowa State 78-69 loss. The Tigers improved to 2-1 in Big 12 play.
Iowa State made a conscious effort all night to keep the ball out of leading scorer Marcus Denmon’s hands. He attempted just five shots and finished with six points, but he did have seven assists and hit four key free throws down the stretch that kept Iowa State from mounting a comeback.
The Tigers also found a way to win while being shorthanded. Both Steve Moore and Kim English fouled out. Matt Pressey led Mizzou with 14 points as everyone finished with double digits in scoring outside of Denmon.
After the game, head coach Frank Haith said, “You gotta have that mental toughness, to be able to withstand runs. I thought we did a good job of that. There will be a lot of teams that lose games in this building.” Fortunately for the Tigers, they will not have to return to Hilton Coliseum for a long time…this was their final game in Ames as a member of the Big 12.
AUDIO Listen to Frank Haith’s postgame comments (5:25)
