National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Missouri 81, Villanova 71
When: 7:00 PM ET, Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
Officials: # Roger Ayers, # Mike Eades, # Bryan Kersey
Attendance: N/A

Marcus Denmon had a game-high 28 points and Ricardo Ratliffe added 17 points and 11 rebounds as No. 10 Missouri defeated Villanova 81-71 Tuesday at Madison Square Garden in the Jimmy V Classic.

The Tigers improved to 8-0 for the first time since the 2006-07 season as they continue to flourish in new head coach Frank Haith’s system. Missouri has won all eight of its games by double digits and has reached the 80-point mark in every game.

Denmon, who scored 31 points in the Tigers’ 90-56 victory over Northwestern State on Friday, converted 6-of-10 attempts from 3-point range. His 3-pointer with 12:23 left put Missouri ahead 61-45, its largest lead of the game.

Villanova stormed back over the next seven minutes, cutting the deficit to 68-62 on JayVaughn Pinkston’s layup with 5:02 left. But the Tigers responded with baskets on each of the next two possessions to stretch the lead back to double digits.

The Wildcats (5-3) lost for the third time in their last four games after starting the season 4-0. Four players finished in double figures, including Maalik Wayns, who had 14 points and eight assists. Dominic Cheek added 12 and Mouphtaou Yarou chipped in 11.

Missouri, the Big 12’s best shooting team, converted just 41 percent of its field goals against the Wildcats but created plenty of extra possessions by controlling the offensive glass and avoiding turnovers. The Tigers finished with 14 offensive rebounds and turned the ball over just nine times.

Kim English finished with 15 points and Phil Pressey had eight points and 12 assists for the Tigers, who have played three neutral-court games but won’t play a road game until Dec. 30.
Top Game Performances
 
Missouri   Villanova
Marcus Denmon 28 Scoring Maalik Wayns 14
Phil Pressey 12 Assists Maalik Wayns 9
Ricardo Ratliffe 11 Rebounds Mouphtaou Yarou 8
Phil Pressey 6 Free Throws Made JayVaughn Pinkston 4
Phil Pressey 3 Steals Dominic Cheek 2
Steve Moore 1 Blocks James Bell 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Missouri 81 42.4 10-25 15-18 23 33 1 8 8
Villanova 71 41.7 11-29 10-15 16 36 1 4 15