Despite his team winning its first seven games by an average of 28 points, Marcus Denmon insists Missouri isn’t satisfied.

Denmon scored a career-high 31 points and the No. 13 Tigers went on a pair of big runs in a 90-56 rout of Northwestern State on Friday night.

“We’ve done some things well, but we’re still a hungry group,” Denmon said. “I feel that starting off 7-0 is good, but it’s something that we want to build on as a team. It’s not something that we’re satisfied with at all.”

Michael Dixon also set a career high with 19 points and Ricardo Ratliffe matched his personal best with 22. The Tigers (7-0) are off to their best start since winning their first nine games during the 2006-07 season.

Missouri used runs of 18-0 and 24-8 to take control. Denmon became the first Tigers player to score 30 points in a game since 2009.

“My teammates were finding me in open spots,” Denmon said. “I take those shots every day in practice. I continue to work on them, and tonight they were falling for me.”

Asked if he practiced the alley-oop and ensuing free throw that capped his scoring, Denmon smiled and said, “Maybe like once every now and then.”

First-year Missouri coach Frank Haith said Wednesday his team planned to attack Northwestern State forward William Mosley, who led the nation last season with 154 blocks and was third this season with 26 through seven games. Despite starting four guards, the Tigers did just that, outscoring the Demons 50-22 in the paint and outrebounding Northwestern State 43-33.

“There’s a lot of great numbers in the ballgame that excite me, but one that really excited me the most was we had 50 points in the paint,” Haith said. “And I think that, even though we shoot the ball really well, that balance is extremely important for our success, our ability to play inside-out.”

Missouri, which leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage, shot 55 percent, three percentage points better than its season average.

“I think they were pressing and they were trying to speed us up,” Ratliffe said. “But we have really good guards and if you try to press them, then more than likely they will beat the press.”

James Hulbin led the Demons (4-4) with 14 points. Demetrice Jacobs and Louis Ellis added 10 apiece, while Mosley had eight points, 14 rebounds and three blocks.

“I just had to attack more,” Mosley said. “That’s something I’ve been trying to do the whole year, but they have pretty good size on them and it was tough, but I just play hard.”

Northwestern State coach Mike McConathy tried using a wave of substitutions, switching out the entire team during timeouts, but the Demons weren’t able to keep pace with Missouri.

“They were really good and they’re going to be a difficult team for people to play because people are going to think, outsiders think well they’re not that big,” McConathy said. “They’re big enough because they know how to play basketball.”

Missouri built a 29-6 lead with 12:37 remaining in the first half after an 18-0 run over 4½ minutes. The Tigers were then able to push the lead to 57-31 at halftime.

Missouri picked up where it left off after the break, scoring the first 11 points during a 24-8 surge to push the lead to 45 with 11:52 left, its largest margin of the game.

Despite its hot start, the Tigers have been struggling to fill Mizzou Arena. But a $5 ticket promotion combined with Missouri players tweeting about small crowd sizes this past week led to a season-high announced attendance of 12,252 on Friday.

“Our fans were outstanding,” Haith said. “Having that sixth man is nice to have. That’s one of the reasons why I’m here.”

Northwestern State, picked to win the East Division of the Southland Conference, fell to 0-2 against Missouri. In the teams’ only previous meeting on Nov. 20, 2005, the Tigers won 81-72 in Columbia. That victory sparked a 63-game winning streak over nonconference opponents at home, which Missouri extended Friday.

— Associated Press —

Kim English can’t remember a time during his four seasons that Missouri has played with so much teamwork, so much energy on offense and defense. His mind wandered all the way back to a Big 12 title his freshman season for something that came close.

The way the Tigers have played this week, there’s reason to believe they’ll win more championships before this season is over.

English had 19 points to lead six Tigers in double figures, and No. 21 Missouri dominated California (No. 18 ESPN/USA Today, No. 20 AP) 92-53 to win the CBE Classic on Tuesday night.

“This is the best I’ve felt in my four years, because it’s the most selfless team I’ve played on,” English said. “We’re all 10 guys, plus three transfers — we’re buying into the process every day.”

The process sure seems to be working.

Missouri built a 45-26 lead by halftime and the outcome was never in doubt over the final 20 minutes, with coach Frank Haith pulling his starters with a few minutes left in the game.

Marcus Denmon added 18 points and was the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Matt Pressey had 13 points and Michael Dixon finished with 11 for the Tigers (5-0), who won the event just a couple hours’ drive from their campus in Columbia for the second time in four appearances.

“The kids are buying in and that’s great to see. We understand we have to stay hungry. It’s a marathon — this is coach-speak now — it’s not a sprint,” Haith said. “As long as our guys understand the focus, there are things we have to work on, we’ve got a chance. No doubt about it.”

Jorge Gutierrez scored 11 points to lead Cal (4-1), but fouled out with 11:12 remaining. Richard Solomon also fouled out with more than 7 minutes left and finished with nine points.

“They’re aggressive,” Gutierrez said. “They play with a lot of intensity, and we felt it.”

The Tigers used relentless man-to-man, half-court pressure to force the guard-oriented Golden Bears into a plethora of early turnovers, and the result was a lot of easy points.

After a free throw by Allen Crabbe got Cal within 19-14 with just under 10 minutes left in the first half, the Tigers went on a 12-2 spurt in which five players scored. Phil Pressey’s bucket with 7:29 left prompted Cal coach Mike Montgomery to call timeout, but Dixon added a 3-pointer moments later off a feed from Denmon to keep the run going.

Denmon’s two free throws made it 31-16 with 5:55 remaining in the half.

The Golden Bears committed three straight turnovers at one point during the stretch, and wound up with 14 of them in the first half, which Missouri turned into 15 points.

The Tigers, who took a 45-26 lead on two foul shots by Phil Pressey with under a minute left in the half, wound up shooting 3 of 12 from beyond the arc and got outrebounded 22-11 over the first 20 minutes, yet still managed to build what turned out to be an insurmountable lead.

“It starts with us playing as a team,” Denmon said, “everybody passing up the good shot for a better shot, and that’s what we did as a unit. It allowed us to have California playing on their heels, and that’s something I felt if we did as a team, we would be hard to guard.”

The Golden Bears had grown accustomed to being on the other side of the scoreboard.

They routed Georgia 70-46 in the semifinals Monday night, their fourth consecutive victory by at least 17 points. The win gave them their best start since Montgomery took over four years ago, and was made even more impressive when the Bulldogs knocked off Notre Dame in the third-place game.

Of course, the Tigers also had their way with the Fighting Irish.

Missouri showed over two games in Kansas City that it has made a flawless transition from the fast-paced, “40 minutes of hell” style of former coach Mike Anderson to a style employed by Haith that values scrappy defense, transition baskets and lights-out shooting.

All of which was on display Tuesday night.

“We’re working. We’re a work in progress,” Denmon said. “We continue to do the things we need to do to get better as a team. … Everything else will take care of itself.”

Things were going so well for the Tigers that when Moore was left open at the top of the key late in the first half, he popped the 3 and hit nothing but net. It was the 6-foot-9 senior center’s third career 3-pointer, and it brought a heavily pro-Missouri crowd to its feet in a roar.

The din never died down in the second half.

The Golden Bears never managed to get into a rhythm, settling for a series of off-balance jumpers, awkward shots at the rim and contested 3-pointers — when they got a shot off at all.

Just as often, it seemed, California was coughing up the ball. The 14 turnovers it had in the first half were two shy of its season high, set against Austin Peay last week, and one fewer than it had in the semifinals against Georgia the previous night.

“We really didn’t have much going,” Montgomery said. “It’s as simple as that.”

— Associated Press —

James Franklin accounted for four touchdowns and got the go-ahead score on a 9-yard run with 2:22 remaining as Missouri, minus suspended coach Gary Pinkel, rallied past Texas Tech 31-27 on Saturday night.

Franklin rushed for a career-best 152 yards with two touchdowns to help the Tigers (6-5, 4-4 Big 12) overcome Henry Josey’s season-ending knee injury last week. He was 13 for 20 for 172 yards and two more touchdowns, including a 7-yarder to Marcus Lucas earlier in the fourth that cut Texas Tech’s lead to three.

Texas Tech threatened late, driving to the Missouri 6, before Dominique Hamilton tipped a pass from Seth Doege and Michael Sam intercepted at the 4.

Doege threw for one touchdown and ran for another for Texas Tech (5-6, 2-6), which has lost four in a row and must beat Baylor next week to become bowl eligible for the 12th straight season.

This was a major improvement for the Red Raiders, who were whipped by an average of 42 points the previous three games and absorbed the worst loss in school history last week in a 66-6 rout against Oklahoma State.

Pinkel can rejoin the team Thursday, two days ahead of the season finale against Kansas in Kansas City. Fans in midfield seats across from the Missouri sideline unfurled a banner that read “We (Love) You, Gary.”

Pinkel’s wife, Vickie, attended the game.

Missouri trailed entering the fourth quarter for the seventh time, and won for the second time under those circumstances.

A week after trailing 49-0 at halftime in a 66-6 loss to Oklahoma State, Texas Tech started fast, playing with the wind on a gusty day, and led 17-10 at the break, fueled by touchdowns on two of the first three possessions — a 1-yard run by Bradley Marquez out of the wildcat formation and Doege’s 3-yard run. It was only the third time Tech had led at the break all season.

Michael Egnew’s first touchdown catch in five games came on a leaping grab in the back of the end zone to cut Missouri’s deficit to 20-17 with 4:43 to go in the third quarter. It was the first touchdown in the third quarter in five games for the Tigers, who have totaled 40 points in that quarter all year.

Texas Tech went up 10 again on Darrin Moore’s 24-yard catch from Doege with one second left in the third that made it 27-17.

The wind was such a factor early that Texas Tech called a timeout to force Missouri to punt into it. The move was foiled when Trey Barrow got a very favorable roll on a 68-yarder into the end zone.

Missouri blew a scoring chance in the first quarter when Kendial Lawrence got stripped by Cornelius Douglas at the Red Raiders 6-yard line and fumbled the ball out of the end zone.

Moore’s 54-yard run to the 6 topped his season total of 39 yards the first 10 games and set up a 5-yard run by Franklin that capped a 10-play, 90-yard drive, the Tigers’ longest of the year.

Missouri cornerback E.J. Gaines had two pass breakups for a season total of 16, breaking the single-season school record set by Michael Harden in 2002.

— Associated Press —

Suspended Missouri football coach Gary Pinkel pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of drunken driving Friday and received a 30-day suspended sentence along with two years’ probation.

Two hours after he was formally charged, Pinkel and his attorney were in Boone County court. His plea renders a scheduled December court date moot.

“Mr. Pinkel seemed to want to get the case resolved and accept responsibility for his actions,” said assistant prosecutor Cassandra Rogers. “This is definitely unusual that this was resolved so quickly. But it’s not unheard of. As soon as I file the charges, anybody has the right to bring up the case earlier (than the scheduled hearing).”

Pinkel, 59, was arrested in Columbia on Wednesday night and suspended without pay the next day for the final home game of the season against Texas Tech on Saturday. He is expected to return for the final regular season game against Kansas at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, likely the school’s final Big 12 Conference game before it moves to the Southeastern Conference next year.

According to a probable cause statement obtained by The Associated Press, Pinkel was driving a black 2010 Chevy Avalanche just after 10 p.m. Wednesday. He was driving 30 mph in a 65-mph zone but then sped up to 65 mph as he took a highway exit and failed to signal a lane change

Pinkel “made a wide right turn … from a left turn lane” at the top of the exit ramp and then a “wide left turn crossing the double yellow line several feet prior” to another intersection, a deputy wrote. The vehicle nearly struck a curb during a turn.

The deputy said Pinkel’s eyes were “glassy and bloodshot.” The coach acknowledged having two glasses of wine between 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. but said he could not take a field sobriety test because of an Achilles tendon injury.

Pinkel initially refused to provide a blood sample but later consented after the deputy took him to a nearby hospital for the test. Those results will likely not be processed now that Pinkel has pleaded guilty, Rogers said. According to Rogers, Pinkel also refused to take a breath test, although there is no mention of either a request or his refusal in the deputy’s report.

Pinkel will lose as much as $306,000 for the incident. Athletic director Mike Alden said the 11th-year coach won’t get the $75,000 bonus his contract stipulates nor a $100,000 annual payment for meeting certain team academic and social goals. He also loses an automatic $50,000 raise at the end of the year, one week’s worth of his base salary and guaranteed incentives and a $75,000 bonus should Missouri (5-5) earn a bowl game bid.

Rogers said the sentence is standard for first offenders. The coach’s attorney, Bogdan Susan, concurred.

“He got no favors,” Susan said.

In an open letter to “Tiger Nation” on Friday, Pinkel said he “betrayed that trust” built up over the past 11 seasons as one of the school’s most successful coaches. Pinkel is 82-54 overall, including three 10-win seasons in the last four years and six consecutive bowl game appearances.

“We’ve known each other for a long time and I’ve worked hard to represent you and the University of Missouri, a place we all love, with the highest standards of integrity,” he wrote. “I put myself in a situation that was absolutely counter to those standards and it pains me to know that I let you all down.”

Defensive coordinator Dave Steckel will lead the team this week, assisted by offensive coordinator Dave Yost,

Pinkel earns a guaranteed annual salary of $2.35 million In April, he received a two-year contract extension through the 2017 season. His teams have largely avoided off-field trouble, although two players and assistant coach Bruce Walker were arrested on alcohol-related charges in August 2010, with another player arrested on alcohol charges in October 2010.

As a condition of his probation, Pinkel must also receive a substance abuse assessment and attend monthly courthouse classes that include drunken driving victims.

— Associated Press —

With four guards and a 6-foot-8 forward in the starting lineup, height-challenged Missouri doesn’t expect to rely much on its inside presence. After an early-season rout against Niagara on Thursday night, that approach may not be necessary for the Tigers.

Marcus Denmon scored 22 points to lead five Missouri players in double figures, and the Tigers (No. 24 ESPN/USA Today, No. 25 AP) rode a hot-shooting first half to an easy 83-52 win.

Kim English added 14 points and seven rebounds, and Ricardo Ratliffe, Matt Pressey and sixth-man Michael Dixon scored 12 points each for Missouri (3-0) in its final regional game of the College Basketball Experience Classic before facing Notre Dame and either California or Georgia next week in Kansas City.

“We take what the defense gives us,” said English, a 6-foot-6 shooter starting at power forward after the preseason loss of 6-foot-8 starter Laurence Bowers to a knee injury. “We have four guards out there. It’s kind of pick your poison.”

Juan’ya Green and Antoine Mason led Niagara (1-1) with 10 points each. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference school shot 34 percent overall and made just five of its 26 attempts from long range, all in the second half once the game was out of hand.

Niagara coach Joe Mihalich said his young team — the Purple Eagles start three freshmen and a sophomore — played “scared” and “tentative.”

“We wasted that opportunity to have a good learning experience,” he said. “We’re still searching for an identity here. We don’t know who we are yet.”

Missouri went 12 of 22 from beyond the arc, with nine of those coming in the first half on 14 attempts. Missouri also had 13 steals — led by point guard Phil Pressey with five — and forced 16 turnovers.

On the offensive side, the Tigers had just three turnovers in a pivotal first half and seven overall. New Missouri coach Frank Haith, who wants to bring a more disciplined, full-court approach to replace his predecessor Mike Anderson’s “fastest 40 minutes” style, liked what he saw.

“I thought it was the best game we’ve played,” Haith said. “Nobody was really hunting shots.”

Missouri’s four-guard lineup repeatedly beat the similarly undersized Purple Eagles to loose balls and long rebounds. The Purple Eagles play just as small, with four guards and a 6-foot-8 forward as starters. Other than 6-foot-9 reserve Steve Moore, the 6-foot-8 Ratliffe is Missouri’s tallest player.

Phil Pressey was especially active on defense, with two nifty saves of loose balls headed out of bounds igniting fast breaks. He had a behind-the-back save in first half and a no-look, over-the-head down court toss in the second. The 5-foot-10 Pressey also had a crowd-pleasing breakaway dunk to extend Missouri’s lead to 34 points with just over 14 minutes remaining in the game.

Niagara scored the game’s first point but was never in it after that. Missouri led by as many as 40 midway through the second half after a 26-9 run, allowing Haith to insert little-used walk-on Jarrett Sutton with 11 minutes remaining. He was joined by fellow walk-on Andy Rosburg in the game’s final minutes.

Matt Pressey capped the first half with a 3-pointer at the buzzer, giving Missouri a 45-22 lead, its biggest of the game at that point. Missouri began the second half the same way it closed the first, with a Denmon 3-pointer from the left corner extending the lead to 26 points.

Denmon was 5 for 8 from 3-point range, English was 4 of 6 and Pressey 2 of 3. Missouri’s 12 treys topped its previous season high against Mercer by one.

The Tigers’ 3-point shooting percentage of 55 percent easily exceeded their success from two-point range, where they shot under 24 percent and converted just 13 baskets.

Missouri extended its school-record winning streak over nonconference opponents at home to 61 games, dating to their 2005-06 season opener.

— Associated Press —

University of Missouri Head Football Coach Gary Pinkel has been suspended without pay for one week, and he will not be on the sidelines for this weekend’s game against Texas Tech, following his Wednesday night arrest for suspicion of driving while intoxicated.

Director of Athletics Mike Alden made the announcement Thursday afternoon.

“After having had a chance to review all of the facts involved with this situation, we feel that this is the appropriate course of action,” Alden said. “Gary is very remorseful for his lapse in judgment, and he is in full agreement that he holds himself to a higher standard than what he displayed last night,” Alden said.

Terms of the suspension mean that Pinkel will not be present in the MU Football offices effective immediately, and he will not be involved in further game-planning or coaching for Saturday’s game, which is scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff at Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium.  He will be allowed back with the program next Thursday.

In addition to the suspension, Pinkel, per his request, will donate an additional week’s salary to the MU Wellness Resource Center, a campus organization which is dedicated to creating an environment that supports healthy decision making as it relates to issues such as alcohol, tobacco and other substance use, among other nutrition, fitness and health issues.  This donation will amount to $40,769 (which includes base salary and guaranteed incentives for one week).

Other terms of the suspension will include a one-year salary freeze for Pinkel and 50 hours of community service to be completed by June 30, 2012.  In addition, Pinkel will not be eligible to receive any potential bowl bonus for the 2011 season, should Mizzou attain bowl eligibility, nor would he receive the social responsibility bonus available to him in his employment contract.

All told the financial impact of the suspension terms equals $306,538, should the Tigers reach a bowl game.  That breaks down to: $100,000 social/academic incentive, $75,000 bowl bonus, $13,462 two weeks’ base salary, $68,076 two weeks’ guaranteed incentives, and $50,000 salary increase due, per contract, at the end of the year.

“As I said previously, I deeply regret the negative attention this has brought to the University of Missouri, and I offer my sincere apology to everyone associated with this institution,” Pinkel said.  “I recognize that I’ve let everyone down and I fully accept the terms of this suspension.  Everyone is held accountable in our program for their actions, and I’m no different.  I hope that our fans will be supportive of our team during this time; they will need their encouragement,” he said.

— MU Sports Information —