by Mizzou Matt
Both of the University of Missouri basketball teams were in action this week- the men took on Villanova in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden, and the women battled Eastern Illinois at Mizzou Arena.MEN:
The Tigers entered the season with a preseason rank of 25th. Since then, they've clawed their way up to 10th with big wins over Notre Dame and Cal in the Progressive CBE Classic. Following a 90-56 destruction of the Northwestern State Demons, the Tigers traveled to Manhattan to play in the Jimmy V Classic. Senior guard Marcus Denmon scored 28 to lead the Tigers past the Wildcats 81-71. That performance came on the heels of his career-high 31 against Northwestern State on Dec. 2nd. It's no surprise that Denmon leads the scoring this year, averaging 21.3 per game, while Kim English is second, averaging 16.6.
So far this year, the Tigers are outscoring opponents 685-480. The Tigers are back in action at Mizzou Arena on Dec. 10th against Navy. Tipoff is set for 4:00pm.
WOMEN:
Coming off of a 70-74 loss to Northwestern, the Tigers trailed by as much as 15 in the second half. They overcame a double-digit deficit to beat EIU 56-54. The Tigers' Christine Flores becomes the first player in the Big 12 to record a triple-double this season. Flores finished the game with 25 points, 14 rebounds and 10 blocks, as well as finishing with five steals. She set a career high in both blocks and steals, and set a Mizzou record with blocks. The previous record (7) was held by Flores, Amanda Lassiter and Stretch James. The Tiger women move to 6-1 on the year and take on North Dakota at 12:30pm on Dec. 10th at Mizzou Arena.
