Tigers Pull Away for Victory in Second Half

Lincoln, Neb. --- Senior Ryan Anderson and the Nebraska basketball team came out firing against the Missouri Tigers on Saturday afternoon, but in the end had no answer for Marcus Denmon and Missouri's 3-point shooting, as the Tigers defeated the Huskers, 74-59, at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

The Huskers bolted to an 11-1 lead thanks to Anderson's three 3-pointers in the game's first four minutes, but Denmon came off the bench and sparked the Tigers' 18-3 run over the next 6:31 with eight points. He again did the trick against NU as he helped extend a 51-45 second-half Missouri lead into a 64-51 advantage with 10 more of his career-high 24 points.  

Denmon hit a career-high five 3-pointers in the game, helping Missouri improve to 8-4 in conference action, and 20-7 overall. The Huskers' sixth straight loss dropped them to 1-11 in Big 12 play and 13-14 overall.

Anderson ended with a season-high six 3-pointers on nine attempts to lead the Big Red with his second straight 22-point performance.

Nebraska jumped out to its 11-1 lead by hitting 4-of-5 from the field - including 3-of-3 from 3-point land by Anderson - before the Tigers took over, connecting on 7-of-10 from the field (4-for-5 from beyond the arc) to take a 19-14 lead. Anderson answered by sinking his fourth and fifth 3-pointers of the half, as NU went back on top, 22-21, with 6:59 to play. 

After five unanswered points by Missouri made the score 26-22, Jorge Brian Diaz connected on two shots in the paint to draw the Huskers even. The teams seesawed back and forth for the last four minutes of the half, with the Tigers taking a 35-33 lead into the locker room. 

Anderson's five first-half 3-pointers came in just 13 minutes, as the senior sat on the bench for the last 5:04 with two fouls. Despite the Huskers' 5-of-8 (62.5 percent) performance from the 3-point line in the first half, they were outdone by the Tigers, who hit 71 percent (5-for-7) en route to their season-best performance from 3-point land.  

The Huskers reclaimed the lead, 39-38, on two Anderson free throws with 17:17 left in the game. But Missouri promptly put an end to any Husker surge with a layup by Zaire Taylor, a jumper by Laurence Bowers and a 3-pointer by Denmon over the next 2:07 to take a 45-39 advantage. 

After Ray Gallegos scored on a floater in the paint to cut the Tiger lead to 51-45, Denmon responded with a 3-pointer and then converted a layup following a Husker turnover in the backcourt to give the Tigers a 56-45 lead with 11:29 left, damaging NU's hopes of a comeback. 

Diaz fired up the crowd with a dunk at the 9:55 mark to pull within 10 points at 59-49, but again Denmon had an answer, scoring the Tigers' next five points for a 64-51 lead with 8:11 to play. The closest the Huskers would get the rest of the way was 12, as they hit just 1-of-8 from beyond the arc in the second half. Mizzou connected on 6-of-12 3-pointers in the period to finish at a season-best 57.9 percent for the game from long range. The Tigers came in averaging 34.8 percent on the season, but Denmon and Taylor combined to go 9-for-16.   

Anderson was the only Husker to crack double figures. Diaz added nine and Christian Standhardinger chipped in seven. Taylor finished with 18 points and a game-high eight rebounds for the Tigers, while Bowers added 12 points.  

The Huskers now travel to Ames, Iowa, for a Wednesday matchup against the Iowa State Cyclones. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m., with television coverage provided by FS Midwest.