On Tuesday night at Mizzou Arena, the Missouri Tigers mounted an epic 18-point second half comeback, securing a 98-93 victory over the California Golden Bears.
Narrowly leading 88-86 with under two minutes remaining, the Tigers got the ball to junior forward Mark Mitchell who finished with an emphatic dunk, giving Mizzou a 90-86 advantage. On the ensuing possession, Tony Perkins came away with a steal and got Mitchell his second consecutive dunk, gifting them a 92-86 cushion with just 1:23 to play. Mitchell wound up finishing the game with an impressive 21 point and five rebounds.
Despite free throw shooting being an issue all night, the Tigers came through at the end of the night, sulking away the win at the line.
Trailing 51-35 at halftime, Mizzou came out of the break firing on all cylinders, largely thanks to sophomore guard Anthony Robinson and senior forward Tamar Bates.
The duo combined for a quick 21 points, knotting the score at 64-64, taking only eight minutes to do so.
Robinson was the difference in the game, finishing with a career-high 29 points and adding six assists. He played the entire second half and not only was he productive on offense, but he changed the game with his defense.
After erasing the 18-point halftime deficit, the Tigers and Bears entered a dog fight, exchanging baskets throughout much of the remaining 12 minutes.
Cal relied on an impressive performance from Andrej Stojakovic, who finished the game with 26 points, continuously coming away with baskets to keep his team within striking distance.
With Josh Gray in foul trouble late in the second half, Mizzou relied on increased minutes from freshman Peyton Marshall, who delivered when he was called upon.
Foul trouble limited Mizzou's rotation in the first half, with both Robinson and Gray picking up two fouls apiece within the first eight minutes of action. With the two of them on the bench, Cal was able to capitalize at the end of the half.
The Golden Bears went on a 17-2 run in the final 3:37 of the first half, going into the second half with all the momentum.
Sparked by a handful of Missouri turnovers and the ability to do whatever they wanted on the offensive end, the Golden Bears took a commanding lead heading into the locker room.
Squaring off against his alma mater, Dennis Gates' coaching was at the forefront of the Missouri Tigers' victory over Cal.
Plagued by an injury to Caleb Grill, finding someone to fill his void proved to be a real challenge for Mizzou early on. Grill went down with a neck injury last Wednesday night in the Tigers' victory over Lindenwood and is targeting a return for the Dec. 22nd matchup against Illinois.
Needing a spark, Robinson had the hot hand within the first four minutes, scoring Mizzou's first nine points; just a preview of what was to come.
Unfortunately for the Tigers, he was the only offense the team could find as it took nearly five minutes for anyone else to record a point.
Cal jumped out to a 20-15 lead thanks to a Jovan Blacksher three-pointer nearly 10 minutes into the first half.
The Golden Bears quickly went to the bench, subbing in freshman guard Jeremiah Wilkinson just two minutes into the game. Wilkinson made an impact, scoring 13 points in the first half alone.
Gates continued relying on one of the deepest benches in college basketball, getting 7 points from Marques Warrick in the opening half.