University of Missouri
1-1,0-0SEC
Howard
0-2,0-0MEAC
Men's Basketball Tops Howard in Home Opener
11/8/2024 10:14:00 PM | Men's Basketball
COLUMBIA, Mo - University of Missouri men's basketball won their home opener with a 77-62 victory over Howard Friday night in front of 11,044 fans at Mizzou Arena. The Tigers secured their first win of the season, improving to 1-1.
MIZZOU LEADERS
Three Tigers scored in double figures to lead MU to victory. Senior Tamar Bates tallied a game-high 17 points, along with three three-pointers made. Junior Mark Mitchell followed just behind with 16 points of his own and a team-high eight rebounds. Sophomore Anthony Robinson II put up 13 points of his own, earning him back-to-back double-figure games.
GAME RECAP
An 8-0 run by Mizzou to start the game, initiated by freshman guard Annor Boateng, forced Howard to call an early timeout. The Tigers forced the Bison to begin the game shooting 1-of-6 from the field, while committing five turnovers, helping Mizzou extend the lead to 14-4 after Mitchell's fast-break dunk.
Both teams traded buckets for the remainder of the half, which ended with Bates hitting a three-pointer, sending the Tigers into intermission with a 40-28 lead. Mitchell led with 14 first-half points.
A pair of dunks from graduate center Josh Gray and junior forward Aidan Shaw helped the Tigers maintain their lead, 52-41, with 13:08 left in the contest. A 9-2 run by the Bison closed the gap to 59-52 with 7:17 left in the game.
Bates hit a dagger three with 1:25 left in the half to cap off a Missouri 11-0 run and push the lead to 74-59. Clutch free throws by sophomore guard Robinson would secure the Tigers' 15-point victory over the Bison.
TEAM STATS
Mizzou held the Bison without a point for the first 6:35 of the contest, marking the longest opponent scoring drought to start a game in the Gates era. The Tigers shot 47.1 percent from the field in the contest including 26-of-29 (83.9 percent) from the free-throw line to help propel them to victory. Missouri also held the Bison to 40 percent from the field and forced 17 turnovers, their most in a game since they forced 20 against Central Arkansas on Dec. 30, 2023.
UP NEXT
The Tigers look to continue their winning ways, hosting Eastern Washington on Monday night. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. at Mizzou Arena.
