KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Marcus Denmon scored 26 points, Phil Pressey added 17 and No. 21 Missouri used a big run spanning halftime to knock off Notre Dame 87-58 on Monday night in the semifinals of the CBE Classic.
Ricardo Ratliffe added 12 points and Kim English had 10 for the Tigers (4-0), who shot 63.3 percent from the field while building a 52-37 lead by halftime. Missouri scored the first six points out of the break to put the game away early, punching its ticket to the championship game.
Missouri, making its fourth appearance in the tournament, will play No. 20 California or Georgia on Tuesday night. The Tigers last won the event in 2001, when it was called the Guardians Classic.
Tim Abromaitis returned from a four-game suspension to score 22 points with seven rebounds for Notre Dame. Scott Martin added 12 points, the only other player in double figures.
