Strong Shooting Performance Propels Mizzou to Road Victory at Mississippi State

Winning on the road has been extremely difficult for head coach Dennis Gates and his team throughout the season, given the trajectory of the SEC.

Prior to Saturday afternoon, their lone victory away from home came against No. 5 Florida in early January, a massive win for the Missouri Tigers.

However, as of late, the Tigers have struggled to play complete games on the road, often falling apart early and never finding their rhythm. This was especially evident in their last road contest against unranked Texas, where they barely surpassed 50 points and couldn’t find their flow on either side of the ball.

With all that said, Mizzou’s performance against the Bulldogs, a top-ranked SEC team, shows drastic improvement from last week and gives significant hope for the team as the season continues.

The Tigers set the tone for the game instantly, coming out with two quick triples, courtesy of Tony Perkins and Mark Mitchell.

It didn’t take long for the rest of the squad to catch on, as the three-pointers kept raining down throughout the first half, and the Bulldogs couldn’t find a way to defend them.

Jacob Crews hit two, and Caleb Grill drained three straight of his own—all within the first fifteen minutes of the first half.

Grill put his team on his back in the latter moments of the first half, ending long offensive possessions—where the Bulldogs defended well—with deep threes to further increase their lead.

Trent Pierce added one of his own before the half ended, with the Tigers leading 45-31 at the break.

Shooting was undoubtedly the difference in the half, as Mizzou’s shooters quickly realized how open they were finding themselves. The more they shot, the more confident they became, and the more buckets fell for them.

The Tigers connected on 9 three-pointers in the first half, shooting nearly 47% from beyond the arc.

The trend didn’t stop in the second half, as Mizzou only got hotter, and Mississippi State failed to find a way to respond.

The momentum the Tigers gained from their shots gave them the confidence needed to defend a team like this, and it also contributed to their ability to score from all over the court, not just from deep.

The three-pointers made in the first ten minutes of the second half helped Mizzou go on scoring runs as high as 15-0, with a peak lead of 25 points.

A crazy day for an offense that has struggled this season, especially against a top-ranked SEC rival.

The senior Grill was nothing short of incredible. He finished with 20 points, but what’s truly magnificent is his 6-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc.

He couldn’t miss, ending several offensive possessions with fantastic triples that stole any potential momentum away from the home team.

In the end, the shooting propelled the Tigers to victory, not only opening up bigger leads but also boosting the confidence of each player from the visiting squad throughout the contest.

Not only did Grill hit six threes, but Crews added three of his own off the bench, another key piece in helping Mizzou to victory, hitting multiple throughout the game.

Five other players added threes, all of them starters. By the time the clock hit zeros, the Tigers had dismantled their competition, shooting nearly 47% from beyond the arc.

They hit 15 total threes during the contest, a season high for the team and a number they haven’t reached in over two years, another very encouraging sign for Mizzou's offense.

Coach Dennis Gates has now led his program to two straight Top-25 ranked wins and five overall. The new Official AP Top-25 Ranking on Monday afternoon is sure to have his team moving up for the third straight week.

Caleb Grill and the rest of the Tigers will travel to Knoxville next, set to take on the No. 8-ranked Tennessee Volunteers on Wednesday evening.