Wednesday, Jan. 25 -

Mizzou came into Wednesday’s matchup versus the (9-10, 2-4 Big 12) Oklahoma State Cowboys hyped up after beating No. 3 Baylor and capturing the No. 2 ranking in the AP Top 25 poll. The Cowboys were looking to protect their 8-2 home court record.

The atmosphere was electric at the “Madison Square Garden of the Plains,” Gallagher-Iba Arena, which sparked the Cowboys three-point shooting. They shot 38.5 percent from behind the three-point line, a whole six percentage points higher than their season average (31.7 percent).

On the contrary, Mizzou shot a measly 21.1 percent from three-point land, 17 percent fewer than their season average (38.4 percent).

Power forward Ricardo Ratliffe and guard Marcus Denmon lead the Tigers. The rest of the team, however, appeared to be on a big game hangover after the road win over No. 3 Baylor this past Saturday.

Michael Dixon, averaging 10.1 points per game and 5.8 assists per game, had only four points and two assists. Kim English, the Tigers No. 1 three-point shooter at 48.9 pecent, did not attempt a three-point field goal in 35 minutes of play.

On the positive side, Ratliffe scored 25 points and collected 12 rebounds. Denmon added 17 points and brought down four rebounds.

Leading the charge for Oklahoma State were freshman Le’Bryan Nash and sophomore Brian Williams who both set career highs for points in a game.

Nash shot 12-18 from the field and went 3-4 from beyond the arc, including two huge threes down the stretch. The second three gave Oklahoma State their first lead since the 19:24 mark at the beginning of the second half.

Nash, a top 10 recruit from Dallas, Texas, finished off the night with 27 points, four assists, and four rebounds. His final assist came on a fast break alley-oop to his partner in crime, Brian Williams.

Brian Williams, who coming into Wednesday night was averaging 6.1 points per game, scored 22 points and went 10-12 from the free-throw line. Before Wednesday’s game, Williams had been to the line only 36 times.

Williams, a 6’5” guard, sealed the game with 1:06 remaining in the game with an acrobatic lay-up plus the foul that whirled around the rim and eventually fell threw the net, giving the Cowboys a 75-68 lead over the Tigers.

Oklahoma State was able to pull off the upset as they defeated the No. 2 Tigers 79-72, giving Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford his eighth victory over a top five opponent.

It was the sixth straight time a top 25 ranked Tiger team has rolled into Stillwater, Okla., and come away with a loss.

The Tigers hope to bounce back this upcoming Saturday at 12:30p.m. as they play host to the Texas Tech Red Raiders (7-11, 0-6 Big 12), who are coming into Mizzou Arena on a season-worst six game losing streak.

- Andrew Kauffman
23 Sports
Staff Writer

MUTV brings you coverage of #2 Missouri men’s basketball’s victory at Baylor, Mizzou Gymnastics’ triumph over #16 Denver and the struggles of the women’s basketball team. Later, they are joined by analysts Jack Korte and Hayley Tharp, and give their early Final Four predictions.

Sunday, Jan. 22 -

The Missouri Women’s Tennis Team opened its spring schedule in Indiana on Sunday against the No. 20 Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The women looked to improve on their success from the fall season as they try to make a name for themselves amongst the rest of the NCAA.

This match not only marks the start of another season, but the beginning of the final chapter of the Tigers’ reign in the Big 12 Conference.

Senior Nina Pantic led the way for Mizzou with a hard-fought singles match against Notre Dame’s Kristy Frilling (6-3, 6-1), showing hope for a road upset in the mind of head coach Sasha Schmid.

What would follow, however, would be a grueling day of competitive tennis that was anything but successful for the Tigers.

Maria Christensen, junior, had a great fall season and came back right where she left off against the Fighting Irish’ Shannon Matthews. Christensen fell behind early in the match but did not let it get to her. She fought back in the first set, but fell short of a win. Despite her hard work and strong performance, Christensen lost the match (7-5, 6-4).

Another glimmer of hope came in the first set of sophomore Rachel Stuhlmann’s match against Britney Sanders. Stuhlmann, native of St. Louis, came out striking quickly which led her to s 6-3 first set win. But despite having the momentum on her side, she could not take charge and finish the match in the second set, falling 6-3 and sending the match to a decisive third set. Stuhlmann was unable to prevail in the final set (6-3, 3-6, 5-7).

The other Tigers who competed in South Bend were Alex Clark, Jamie Mera and Annemjin Koenen. Clark, a freshman from London, fell to Jennifer Kellner in her singles match (6-3, 6-3). Senior Mera couldn’t get an advantage over Chrissy McGaffigan and lost despite a well played second set (7-5, 4-6, 6-4). Koenen was defeated in the final singles match of the day for Mizzou, but didn’t go down without a respectful second set rally (6-4, 7-6 (7-5))

Mizzou looks ahead to improve in their next match against future Southeastern Conference rival University of Georgia in Athens, Ga., on Jan. 27 at 1p.m.

-Jordan Santo
23 Sports
Staff Writer

Saturday, Jan. 21 -

In Champagne, Illinois, the Mizzou track team performed notably at the Illini Classic. Overall, the Mizzou men and women claimed six event titles of the day, even placing in the top four spots for the women’s weight throwers.

Tossing a 17.43m throw on the women’s side, senior Melissa Coil won the event. Closely behind her, teammates Cortni Ervin took second, Laura Greenfield in third, and Bethany Pfeiffer placed in fourth to finish off the sweep.

In high jump, the women continued their successes as sophomore Camille Hayes took the high jump title once clearing a 1.68m bar. Morgan Whitson took second place with a 1.63 jump.

On the men’s side, senior captain Ryan Blackwell claimed the 400m dash with a time of 49.35—his first title victory of the season. Ricky West won the 600-yard run with a time of 1:20.58 followed by teammate Tyrell Everett with a 1:21.51.

Junior Malcolm Pennix took home his second long jump title of the year after a 7.33m jump. He was named Big 12 Athlete of the Week after his long jump last week. Brooks Moiser claimed the shot put title with a throw of 17.98m.

In his season debut, Tre’ Chambers took third in the 60m dash with a time of 6.82. Kenny Cushing came back in the final 150 meters to claim second in the 800m run at 1:53. In the mile, sophomore Merid Seleshi earned second and the 4x400m relay team also picked up a runner-up finish with a time of 3:18.71, a mere 7 hundredths of a second behind first place.

Jeremy Lampley was the runner-up for the triple jump, leaping 14.45m. In addition, Jacob Bullinger was the runner-up in the weight throw with a 17.93m toss.

For the women, Leslie Farmer earned a third place title in the 400m dash at 57.10 as Landon Wachter was the runner-up in the 800m dash with a running time of 2:12.48. Pole-vaulter Heather Green took second as well with a vault of 3.80m.

- Hanna Battah
23 Sports
Staff Writer

Saturday, Jan. 21 –

Despite 24 bench points, the Missouri women’s basketball team failed to find their first conference win of the season on Saturday, falling to the Oklahoma State Cowgirls 62-58.

Christina Flores contributed her usual 20 points and seven rebounds and Morgan Eye and Liene Priede put up 11 and 10 points respectively, but it was not enough to counter four Cowgirls scoring in double figures.

Missouri fought and scraped in the first half, finally capturing their first lead on an Eye three-pointer with 5:48 left. Oklahoma State answered swiftly, retaking the advantage by the end of the half. From then on, the Tigers could never get over the hump.

Down five early in the second half, a BreAnna Brock drive earned a bucket and a foul to ignite the crowd and her squad. OSU would not allow the converted three-point play to change the Tigers’ fortunes though, responding with a 12-1 run that all but stifled Missouri’s hopes.

To the Tigers’ credit, the ladies battled back, cutting the deficit to four with just under ten minutes remaining. The Cowgirls absorbed that blow as well, hitting their sixth three of the half with 9:35 left in the game.

The final nine minutes was an ugly grind. Only 20 more points were scored combined between the two teams, 15 coming from the free throw line. Missouri never found a way to overcome the lead down the stretch.

After a 10-1 non-conference campaign, the Tigers have collapsed in conference play. With Saturday’s loss, the ladies drop to 0-6 in the Big 12 and 10-7 overall.

In the midst of a struggling season, Mizzou has hope in the form of great senior leaders. Flores and Brock will continue to lead their team throughout the remainder of the regular season and into March, where a second chance awaits in the conference tournament.

Missouri’s next game is Wednesday, Jan. 25 in Austin, Texas against the Texas Longhorns.

- RJ Layton
23 Sports
Staff Writer

Saturday, Jan. 21 -

They were on the road; in an arena they hadn’t won a game in in their last three trips. They were facing a larger, supposedly stronger opponent. It was the first top five matchup between Big 12 teams that didn’t include either Texas or Kansas, ever. All of this had many experts and fans picking the No. 3 Baylor Bears to defeat the No. 5 Missouri Tigers on Saturday, but it didn’t stop the Tigers from showing up and fighting.

The game was close from the opening tip-off to the final buzzer, with the largest lead of the game being 12 by Missouri with five minutes remaining. In the end the Tigers squeaked out an 89-88 victory over the Bears in Waco, Texas.

Heading into the game the biggest question mark for the Tigers would be how would they match up down low against a much taller Baylor team. Ricardo Ratliffe would need to step up and show that he could compete with the big boys. He did just that, having a career game and setting the tone for the Tigers when they needed it most.

Surprisingly, the Tigers were able to win the battle down low, outrebounding the Bears 32-26 including 12 boards on the offensive end. Ratliffe lead the way grabbing eight rebounds to go along with his career-high 27 points.

At times Ratliffe looked outmatched by Baylor’s bigger forwards Perry Jones III and Quincy Miller, even giving up 29 points to Miller. But when Missouri needed a key rebound or put back, Ratliffe always seemed to be around the hoop to do whatever he could to help out. Missouri scored 18 second-chance points to Baylor’s 11, most of which came from Ratliffe’s hands.

While Ratliffe dominated inside and kept the Tigers in the game, Phil Pressey was an outstanding floor general once again. Pressey contributed in almost every way possible, finishing with an impressive stat line of 18 points, seven assists, six steals and five rebounds.

Perhaps the defining moment in Pressey’s performance came with eight minutes remaining. Stuck guarding between two Baylor players, Pressey jumped up, stole a pass right out of the air and drove down the court on a fast break. With three defenders surrounding him, he let two get past him and flipped up a soft layup that floated in. It gave the Tigers an eight-point lead and tons of momentum, and Baylor was forced to call a timeout.

Baylor fought back and the final minutes of the game had fans on the edge of their seats biting their nails. Missouri’s offense seemed to stutter, and Baylor took advantage, closing within five with only a minute remaining. Missouri proved they were the better team by doing what almost every great team in history has done: make free throws.

Marcus Denmon and Michael Dixon Jr. were fouled and given chances for free points at the free throw line numerous times in the final minutes. They came up clutch and made nearly every one to seal the victory for the Tigers.

The Tigers will once again travel on the road for their next game, this time to Stillwater, Okla. They take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Wednesday, Jan. 25 at 6:30p.m. in Stillwater.

- Walt Scher
23Sports
Staff Writer

Blair Ussary has the highlights of MU gymnastics flipping their way to a very close victory over Denver.

Friday, January 20 -

Tiger sports teams excelled the first week back in classes, and the women’s gymnastics team was no exception.

Just a few days after junior track and field star Malcolm Pennix and sophomore wrestler Alan Waters were named Big 12 athletes of the week in their respective sports and women’s softball found itself atop a Big 12 preseason poll for the first time in the program’s history, Missouri gymnastics defeated No. 16 Denver in a riveting home matchup.

The Hearnes Center picked a good night for their Pink Out, as attenders were treated to a narrow 194.725 – 194.625 victory Friday night to go with their free pink t-shirts. Ranked at No. 22 nationally, the Missouri squad improved to 3-0 on the year.

Freshman Rachel Updike continued her blistering start to the season, leading the Tigers with titles in the vault, beam and floor. Updike, an Olathe, Kan., native, has already earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Week this season for her three titles in the opener against No. 24 Iowa State. She has now tallied seven titles on the young season.

Senior Allie Heinzelman won the bars title on Friday night, giving Missouri all four of the event titles.

In her first competition of the year, freshman Kelsy Landreth joined four other teammates in scoring 9.725 or above on the vault. Sophomore Mackenzie McGill also made her opening performance as a Tiger with a 9.600 on her bar routine.

A strong 49.000 on the floor routine boosted Denver into the lead after three rotations, but strong floor performances by Updike, senior Mary Burke and junior Tori Howard clinched the upset for Missouri.

- Brian Hayes
23 Sports
Staff Writer

Wednesday, January 18 -

Mizzou couldn’t take advantage of early control in the game, and succumbed to the persistent pressure of the Aggies, losing by a whooping 26 points, 78-52.

Missouri walked into conference play extremely confident with a 10-1 record, its best start in a long time, but now has fallen to 0-5 in the Big 12 and has generated several concerns and questions as it continues to try and earn it’s first conference win.

Once again, Christine Flores tried to keep the Tigers in it, accounting for almost 25 percent of the team’s points. She finished with 13 points and five blocks. Senior BreAnna Brock was one board away from a double-double on the night as she snatched nine rebounds and tallied 12 points.

The Tigers jumped to a 7-2 lead early on the road, and put up over half their points in the first half. Texas A&M fought back from the early deficit however, and entered the half with a seven-point lead.

The Tigers shot promisingly in the first half, only to miss a few easy buckets in the second half that shattered their chances at a victory.

Texas A&M came into the game with booming confidence. Last year, the Aggies captured the national title after victories over conference rival and No. 1 Baylor, No. 1 seed and championship favorite Stanford, and Notre Dame in the final. Texas A&M remains one of the teams to beat in the conference and the nation and should continue to compete with Baylor for the lead in the Big 12.

The Tigers head back to Columbia to host Oklahoma State, in which several coaches, players and fans will wear either orange or black ribbons or a symbolic “4” in honor of the four Oklahoma State coaches and associates who died in the plane crash on Nov. 17, shortly before Oklahoma State’s perfect football season ended at the hands of Iowa State.

- Kevin Waida
23 Sports
Staff Writer

Saturday, Jan. 14 -

15,000 black-clad fans filled Mizzou Arena on Saturday to watch the Missouri Tigers take on their conference foe the Texas Longhorns in the annual blackout game.

Coming off a bounce back win against Iowa State after suffering their first loss of the year to Kansas State last week, the Tigers came out hungry.

Seniors Ricardo Ratliffe and Marcus Denmon had career days to lead the Tigers to a 84-73 victory. Sophomore Phil Pressey had another outstanding game leaving Texas happy that they will not have to face him twice a year in the future with Missouri’s move to the SEC beginning next year.

Ratliffe finished 10-12 from the floor with 21 total points to go along with four rebounds. He came into the game leading the nation in shooting percentage and increased that lead with another great outing. Ratliffe’s percentage currently stands at 77.4 percent.

While Ratliffe wasn’t a dominant force on the boards like Missouri would have wanted, he made up for it by getting good looks at the basket and making the easy shots he’s supposed to make. He started hot, making his first eight shots to get the Tigers’ offense going early.

Denmon stepped up and grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds to go along with 18 points for his first career double-double. Denmon leads the senior class that now has an impressive 61-4 all-time record at Mizzou Arena.

Even with those outstanding efforts by the seniors, the Tigers were in trouble in the second half in large part because of J’Covan Brown. Brown led the Longhorns with 34 points. His point total is now the single game record for an opponent at Mizzou Arena.

When the Tigers needed someone to step up and get them out of a rut, Pressey stood tall as the youngest starter and scored seven straight points. He finished with 18 points, 10 assists and zero turnovers. After that short burst by Pressey, Missouri kept control of the game from there on out.

The ninth ranked Tigers are now 16-1 overall and 3-1 in Big 12 play. Missouri will have only two days to prepare for their next opponent, Texas A&M. The Aggies will travel to Mizzou Arena at 5:30p.m. on Monday, Jan 16 to take on the Tigers.

- Walt Scher
23Sports
Staff Writer