It wasn’t always pretty, but Missouri men’s basketball showed its grit Friday night.
The Tigers overcame a five-point halftime deficit and a shaky defensive first half to pull out an 89–84 win over Southeast Missouri State at Mizzou Arena, improving to 2–0 on the season. Senior forward Mark Mitchell led the way with 29 points on 12-of-14 shooting, willing Missouri back into control with an aggressive second-half performance that earned praise from head coach Dennis Gates.
“They showed a lot of heart and resilience against a tough team,” Gates said. “Our guys regrouped at halftime and made the right adjustments. We went from 51% allowed in the first half to 32% in the second. That’s the difference in the game.”
Missouri opened the night on a 12–0 run but lost its edge midway through the first half as SEMO caught fire from the floor, shooting 59% before the break and capitalizing on nine Tiger turnovers.
“We got kind of soft, got kind of complacent,” Mitchell admitted. “In the second half, we just got back to our principles — defending, talking, staying solid. That’s when things started to turn.”
Those halftime adjustments worked. The Tigers tightened their closeouts, forced five turnovers in the opening nine minutes of the second half, and flipped a 51–46 deficit into a 59–58 lead.
Mitchell took over down the stretch. His and-one layup with 3:10 remaining gave Missouri a 79–76 advantage, and he later hit four straight free throws to ice the win.
The Tigers shot 59.3% from the field and 6-of-15 from three, helping them overcome a rough night at the foul line — Mizzou went just 3-for-10 from the stripe in the first half but finished 14-for-16 down the stretch. Missouri still has plenty to clean up — 19 turnovers, stretches of stagnant defense, and missed opportunities on the glass — but the early-season theme remains clear: resilience.
“It’s a journey,” Gates said. “These early games are about learning how to respond. Tonight, our guys responded the right way.”
The Tigers will look to extend their season-opening win streak to 3–0 when they host VMI on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. on SEC Network.