Kansas City, MO – The 21st-ranked Missouri Tigers and the ranked California Golden Bears will clash tonight in Kansas City in a matchup of unbeatens that will settle the CBE Classic Championship.
Missouri was dominant in its 87-58 win over Notre Dame in the CBE Classic semifinal on Monday. Marcus Denmon had another fine offensive performance for the Tigers, scoring 26 points in the win.
California was equally impressive in the other semifinal, slamming Georgia 70-46. The Golden Bears posted three players in double figures, including Harper Kamp, who shot a perfect 6-of-6 from the field en route to 16 points. California hit 50 percent from the floor in the win.
Missouri leads the all-time series with California, 4-2.
Denmon finished 9-of-11 from the field for Missouri, hitting two three- pointers and going 6-of-7 from the free throw line as Missouri romped. Ricardo Ratliffe was impressive up front, scoring 12 points to pair with his eight rebounds. Phil Pressey added 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting, while Kim English added 10 points and six rebounds. The Missouri defense was relentless, especially in the second half, holding Notre Dame to 25 percent shooting in the final 20 minutes. Notre Dame, which hit just 4-of-16 from three-point range, committed 13 turnovers.
Alongside Kamp, California got a boost offensively from Jorge Gutierrez, who had 14 points along with seven rebounds. Justin Cobbs added 10 points and five assists, while Allen Crabbe scored nine points and had six boards. California made 6-of-11 from long range, and outrebounded Georgia 36-31. The collective defensive effort from Cal was also impressive, holding Georgia to 32.8 percent shooting from the field, including just 4-of-19 from three-point range. The Bulldogs also committed 16 personal fouls and 15 turnovers in the loss.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.