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Michael Dixon ignites Missouri Tigers past Texas Longhorns

By Trevor Hass - Syracuse University '15 - 218 views

Michael Thomas / AP
Missouri guard Matt Pressey (3) rips down a rebound against Texas forward Jonathan Holmes (10) during Missouri's 67-66 win over the Longhorns in Texas.

Earlier in the season, Missouri guard Michael Dixon complained about coming off the bench. Now, he has embraced the role and is flourishing as a sparkplug.

“I like winning. I’m all about winning,” Dixon said in an interview on ESPN after the game. “That sixth man stuff is behind me.”

Dixon played a pivotal role off the bench against Texas Monday night, as the Tigers (20-2, 7-2 Big 12) barely held off the Longhorns (13-9, 3-6 Big 12), 67-66. The guard scored 21 points on 9 of 10 shooting and hit the game-winning layup on an explosive move to the basket with 31 seconds remaining.

Texas had a chance to win on the last possession after trailing by 10 with 4:36 remaining. Missouri coach Frank Haith opted to go to a zone in the waning seconds, a gutsy call that baffled Texas and ultimately forced Myck Kabongo to miss a difficult, contested shot.

The Longhorns had been able to get back into the game when Dixon elbowed Julian Lewis directly in the face with 1:11 left. Lewis knocked down the free throws to cut the deficit to one, completing a four-point swing. Meanwhile, Missouri became complacent and used too much clock, which hurt its offensive flow.

On the next possession, J’Covan Brown scored two of his 20 points on a floater off the glass with 56 seconds to go, giving Texas its first lead since three minutes into the game.

Missouri’s Ricardo Ratliffe went 6-8 from the field, which is right on his NCAA-record 75 percent average. Former Oregon State big man Steve Johnson set the current record in 1980-81, when he averaged 21 points per game on 74.6% shooting.

Flip Pressey also chipped in with 13 for Mizzou, as the Tigers have now won two straight conference games after a slipup against Oklahoma State.

With the win, Missouri beat Texas for the second time this season. The Longhorns were looking for some revenge after an 84-73 loss to the Tigers on January 14th. Texas has dropped 5 of 6 and may be on the outside looking in in terms of the NCAA tournament at this point in time.

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Hey, my name is Trevor Hass and I'm a Newspaper and Online Journalism major at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. I'm originally from Arlington, MA, and am an only child. I'm a Celtics, Red Sox, Patriots, and 'Cuse fan. I have written for "The Daily Orange" and "Extra Point" sports magazine at SU and "The Arlington Advocate" and "The Ponder Report" in my hometown. When I'm not watching sports excessively, I enjoy playing Scrabble, eating ice cream, making awful puns, hanging out with friends, playing basketball, tennis, ping pong, and racquetball, and watching TV shows such as Curb Your Enthusiasm, Seinfeld, and How I Met Your Mother. My dream job is to cover the Celtics for "The Boston Globe," but I'll be happy with any job in sports journalism as long as I'm doing something I love.