On Monday, Missouri's basketball team took on Eastern Washington in a non-conference battle at Mizzou Arena. The Tigers started off the game slow offensively, turning the ball over twice before coach Dennis Gates was forced to call a timeout with his team trailing 12-4.
Following the timeout, Caleb Grill checked into the game and made a quick impact, knocking down two free throws and four threes in the first half alone, giving him 16 points at the break.
Mark Mitchell added 10 points in the first half as well, getting to the rim at will.
Grill came out of the locker room with the same vengeance he had in the first half, finishing the game 8/10 from 3 point range and accumulating 32 points, which was a new career high. Down the stretch, when the game got close, it was Grill who took over.
What looked good vs. Eastern Washington:
- Caleb Grill
- Got to the free throw line
- Defensive rotation looked good
- Anthony Robinson II”s intensity on defense
- 3 point shooting (10/18 on the night)
- Able to pull out a win in another close game
What looked bad vs. Eastern Washington:
- Free throw shooting in the second half (12/19)
- Offensive scheme still doesn’t look fluid
- The Tigers let 15 point lead in the first half get to as low as 2 in the second
Coming off the win, the Tigers hosted Mississippi Valley State on Thursday night, getting off to a hot start in the contest as they shot 50% from 3 in the first half.
Graduate transfer Marques Warrick was 3/3 from behind the arc and finished the first half with 11 points. The Tigers capitalized on the Delta Devil errors, scoring 45 points off turnovers. The Tigers' offense looked as good as it has all year.
The Tigers were very active on defense, and it showed in a dominant 111-39 win. Warrick led the team with 16 points on the night.
What looked good vs. Mississippi Valley State:
- The ability to capitalize on opponent turnovers
- Three point shooting
- Interior defense
- Defensive rotation was really strong
- Ball movement
What looked bad vs. Mississippi Valley State:
- Free Throws (22/35, another poor performance from the charity stripe)
Takeaways from the week:
- Like I said last week, “free throw shooting is going to be imperative for this team.” They are shooting poor under pressure from the line.
- When the Tigers played man-to-man defense, they looked really sharp and capitalized in transition.
- Being able to force 37 total turnovers in 2 games is an impressive feat
- Offensive flow looks better and more connected
Upcoming Games:
Friday: Home vs. Pacific (6:30pm CST)
Sunday: Home vs. Arkansas - Pine Bluff (4:00 pm CST)