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No. 10 Missouri stays perfect with rout of Kennesaw State

Dec 16, 2011 - 3:45 AM Columbia, MO (Sports Network) - Michael Dixon and Ricardo Ratliffe each scored 18 points, leading No. 10 Missouri to a 104-67 thrashing of Kennesaw State.

Marcus Denmon netted 17 points and Matt Pressey chipped in 15 points for the Tigers (10-0), who last won their first 10 games of the season during the 1991-92 campaign.

Delbert Love led all scorers with 27 points for Kennesaw State (2-6).

The Tigers took an early 13-6 lead, but the Owls responded with a 9-0 spurt to take a 15-13 advantage thanks to two from the line by Markeith Cummings.

Though Mizzou snapped back to attention to go ahead 26-21 on a Dixon bucket, Love hit a three-pointer to give the Owls a 29-28 lead with 7:25 to go in the half.

Missouri responded, though, and outscored Kennesaw State 19-4 -- which included a Pressey layup at the first-half buzzer -- the rest of the way to take a 47-33 advantage into the locker room.

"We were sluggish at first, and Coach Haith always tells us we're going to get a team's best shot. They came out on their toes more than we did. We got a few defensive stops that ignited our offense, and that helped us to finish strong," Dixon said.

The Tigers jumped on Kennesaw State in the second half and led by as many as 39 before cruising to an easy win.

A Dixon jumper made it a 21-point bulge with 12:51 to go, and the 30-point barrier was breached on a Pressey free throw for an 87-57 game inside of six minutes to play.

The Tigers defense forced 19 total turnovers including 14 steals. They shot 60 percent from the field and held a 62-26 advantage in the paint.

Game Notes

It was the first ever meeting between the schools...Missouri improved to 10-1 all-time against the Atlantic Sun Conference...The 1991-92 Tigers started the season 11-0 before losing back-to-back games to Memphis and Kansas.