University of Missouri guard Marcus Denmon played Wednesday night with a heavy heart following the shooting death of his cousin, but still managed to score the winning basket in the No. 15 Tigers' 85-82 overtime victory over Vanderbilt, the Kansas City Star reported.
Denmon's 20-year-old cousin, Marion, was killed Tuesday in Kansas City after getting caught in the crossfire of a gunfight. But the junior guard played despite the tragedy, logging 39 minutes and scoring a game-high 21 points.
And his steal and layup, plus a free throw, with just seconds to go in overtime, broke an 82-82 tie.
“He’s just a warrior,” teammate and longtime friend Michael Dixon said. “That’s just a tribute to where he’s from and what he’s been through his whole life. It’s been a long couple of days. One of my friends passed. He was like a brother to Marcus, who grew up with him.”
Dixon said Denmon, who did not speak to reporters after the game, had been upset over the past few days.
“It’s just been hitting him on and off,” Dixon said. “He’d be all right, and then we will be somewhere, and he will start crying.”
