Tigers win big over OU, lose Denmon to injury
Columbia, MO- The University of Missouri Tigers and the Oklahoma Sooners squared off today in Mizzou Arena for a Homecoming-style game for the Tigers. Coming off a road loss in Lawrence, KS, the Tigers enter the game in "must win" mode. Mizzou started the game slow, going down by as much as 7, but the second half was all Tigers. Leading by as much as 23, the 20th-ranked Tigers take care of business against OU, winning 84-61.
The Tigers improve to 19-6 overall, 5-5 in conference play with the win, but it did come at a cost: guard Marcus Denmon left the game early after taking an elbow from teammate Laurence Bowers. Since the injury, the game lost all energy, but the Tigers pulled away throughout the half.
Turnovers plagued the Sooners, as they finished the game with 18 overall. Michael Dixon tied with OU's Cameron Clark to lead all scorers off the Tiger bench with 16. Ricardo Ratliffe added 13 of his own, with Justin Safford winning the "Sixth Man" award with 11 off the bench. Denmon tallied 9 before leaving with the injury. Jarrett Sutton, the last man on the roster (who was added after playing coach Mike Anderson in a game of 1-on-1), played the last minute of the game with no shots, no points.
The Tigers out-rebounded the Sooners, 34-30. Tigers shot 85% from the free throw line, 47% from the field, 36% from beyond the arc.
Mizzou remains undefeated at home, the only Big 12 team to have that honor, at 15-0 on the season. The Tigers look to extend that to 16 on Tuesday as they take on Texas Tech.
