Missouri men's basketball team regroups after road loss, holds off Texas Tech 63-50

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- It was far from a triumphant homecoming for No. 2 Missouri.

Still, coach Frank Haith concentrated on the bottom line after a shaky 63-50 victory over Texas Tech on Saturday that didn't quite flush away all the sour taste from an upset loss at Oklahoma State three days earlier.

Missouri needed a shutdown finish against a team that's winless in the Big 12.

"We're a good-shooting ballclub," Haith said. "We just didn't make shots. We had a lot of great looks. Does that make the game look ugly? But we won."

Kim English scored 19 points in the first half, Marcus Denmon had 13 after the break and Phil Pressey matched his career best with 12 assists to give Missouri just enough to avoid another stumble.

Missouri's Kim English saves the ball from going out of bounds as he flies into the cheerleaders during the second half Saturday in Columbia, Mo. (L.G. PATTERSON ~ Associated Press)

Texas Tech concentrated on shutting down Ricardo Ratliffe, Missouri's lone inside threat who was coming off a pair of big games in which he totaled 52 points and 20 rebounds. Ratliffe was held to eight points and four rebounds. Missouri's four-guard attack didn't make the Red Raiders pay enough. The Tigers shot 39 percent.

"It was kind of like a great test," English said. "If you can't execute, you still have to get stops."

Missouri went more than seven minutes between baskets during the second half. Denmon helped compensate by going 10 of 10 from the free-throw line.

"I think Texas Tech did a good job inside, and I think if we made shots in the first half, it would seem like we played a little bit better," Denmon said. "But good teams find a way to win, and that's what we did."

Jaye Crockett had 11 points and 11 rebounds, and Ty Nurse scored 13 for Texas Tech (7-13, 0-8 Big 12), which shaved a 15-point deficit to seven on Clark Lammert's 3-pointer off the glass at the shot-clock buzzer with 2 minutes, 36 seconds to go.

Missouri's Matt Pressey, right, defends Texas Tech's Luke Adams, left, as he looks to pass during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

Missouri (19-2, 6-2) finished with six straight points, including Ratliffe's dunk in transition with a minute left. Ratliffe started it with a blocked shot, then hustled to the other end as English saved the ball from going out of bounds.

English had 22 points and Denmon added 19 despite 4-of-15 shooting.

Missouri remained unbeaten at home three days after an upset loss at Oklahoma State ensured a short stay at No. 2 in the rankings. The Tigers' first 11 home victories had been by an average of 27 points.

Keeping it close was small consolation for Texas Tech.

"We have to do something about getting beat all the time," Texas Tech coach Billy Gillespie said. "I don't like it at all."

Freshman Jordan Tolbert, the Red Raiders' leading scorer and rebounder, had four points, four rebounds and eight turnovers in 16 minutes while saddled by foul problems. He played just two minutes in the second half.

"He got pushed around a little bit and didn't respond nearly as well as he needs to," Gillespie said. "But that's part of the education process for a freshman, especially when we don't have a whole lot other than him to help him inside."