The Missouri Tiger men’s basketball team advanced to Friday’s semifinal of the Big 12 Tournament after a convincing 88-70 win over the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Kim English led Missouri with 27 points, including 21 in the first half. Marcus Denmon took charge in the second half scoring 14 of his 21 in the final 20 minutes.
The Tigers shot 67% for the game and outrebounded OSU 37-18. Phil Pressey finished with 12 assists and was one shy of tying the school record for most in a single game. Pressey focused more on his defense than his offense, coming up with five steals and helping lead a 24-3 stretch in the first half that helped Mizzou build a 29 point lead.
Grabbing that lead helped rest some of Frank Haith’s players. Jarret Sutton played six minutes and Andrew Jones got in for four minutes. Just Denmon and English were the only players to go 30 or more minutes in a game. They typically log 35. Haith said any help those guys deep on the bench can give will be important as the Tigers try to go for three straight wins this weekend.
AUDIO Mizzou postgame audio from Frank Haith and players (7:00)