By R.B. Fallstrom
Associated Press Sports Writer
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Phil Pressey scored 19 points, making four of No. 4 Missouri’s season-best 14 3-pointers, and the Tigers beat No. 6 Baylor 72-57 on Saturday.
Sixth man Michael Dixon also had four 3-pointers and Marcus Denmon added three for Missouri (23-2, 10-2 Big 12), which shot 50 percent from long range.
Missouri is 14-0 at home and got an easier test a week after needing a 11-0 run to beat Kansas by three. Both games were sellouts but the matchup against Baylor (21-4, 8-4), carrying a higher ranking, failed to match that atmosphere.
Quincy Miller had 20 points and Perry Jones III had just four on 2-for-12 shooting for Baylor, which flopped for the second straight game after a 14-point home loss against No. 8 Kansas on Wednesday night. The Bears shot just 36 percent, negating a whopping 40-27 rebounding advantage.
Pierre Jackson, who had 20 points and 15 assists in a one-point loss to Missouri at home Jan. 21, had five points on 2-for-9 shooting with five assists in the rematch.
Denmon had 16 points, passing Jon Sundvold for 10th on Missouri’s career scoring list. Dixon finished with 16 points and six assists, and Kim English had 12 points, all in the second half.
Missouri shot 48 percent from the field overall. It had 12 3-pointers twice earlier in the season, against Oklahoma and Niagara.
Pressey had no 3s the previous five games, going 0 for 9 while concentrating more on distributing the ball, and had just 16 in the first 24 games of the season. He banked in his first 3-point attempt with about eight minutes to go in the first half, and added two more in the final 1:42 to help Missouri take a 33-29 lead.
Missouri hit six 3-pointers and Steve Moore had a dunk during a 20-6 run that broke open a one-point game midway through the second half. Dixon had the last two from well beyond the line for a 58-43 cushion with just over eight minutes left, and his 3-pointer started the run.
Baylor had a 13-1 rebounding advantage early, taking full advantage of its height advantage against Missouri’s four-guard attack.
