Mizzou’s Caleb Grill goes for a shot against Eastern Washington’s Emmett Marquardt during Monday’s NCAA basketball game at Mizzou Arena. (Photo courtesy: Associated Press)
| NCAA Men’s Basketball | 1 | 2 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Washington (1-2) | 33 | 44 | 77 |
| Missouri (2-1) | 45 | 39 | 84 |
Cedric Williams
Senior Editor
COLUMBIA, MO — University of Missouri grad student Caleb Grill had the best game of his career, Monday night in the Tigers 84-77 win over Eastern Washington.
Grill, who missed most of last season with a wrist injury, hit eight three-pointers and scored a career-high 33 points to help Missouri ward off the feisty Eagles.
With the win, Mizzou is now 2-1 on the season and has won two straight games after losing 20 in a row, dating back to last season.
“What a tough team, well coached by a hall of fame coach,” Mizzou head coach Dennis Gates said. “When we scheduled our scheduling we wanted to play teams that had opportunities to win their conference like Eastern Washington.”
Eastern Washington began the game like a team that expected to come on the road and win a game. The Eagles jumped out to a quick 12-4 lead and didn’t seem the slightest bit afraid of Missouri.
But the Tigers responded with an 11-0 run, highlighted by a Grill fastbreak dunk and a smooth layup by Mark Mitchell. Mizzou never trailed again the rest of the game.
“Our guys responded in a way that I thought showed character,” Gates said. “I thought it showed growth from one game to the next, and you can slowly see us going in the right direction.”
Missouri built its lead to as many as 15 points in the first half and 13 points midway through the second, before Eastern Washington began to rally. The Eagles got as close as two points (70-68) with six minutes to play, but the Tigers responded with a jumper by Tamar Bates and a three-pointer and a pair of free throws by Grill to go back up by seven at the under four minute timeout break.
Mizzou was never in any danger the rest of the game.
Mizzou’s Marcus Allen makes a move for the basket during Monday’s NCAA basketball game against Eastern Washington. (Photo courtesy: Associated Press)
Mitchell finished with 13 points on six-of-10 shooting, while Bates had nine points, and point guards Tony Perkins and Anthony Robinson II both had eight points. Perkins also had five assists and Robinson had four.
Grill was the star of the night though, after tying the Mizzou Arena record for threes in a game, which was last accomplished by native St. Louisan Torrance Watson, who hit eight in a game during the 2019-20 season.
This was also a particularly stunning accomplishment considering Grill had just lost his spot in the starting lineup and came off the bench on Monday.
“I benched him and he was mad at me, it’s just that simple,” Gates said. “Accountability is growth, and he allowed me to hold him accountable.”
“If I was in his shoes, I would have done the same thing,” Grill added.
Mizzou will be back in action on Thursday, November 14, when the Tigers will host Mississippi Valley State. That contest at Mizzou Arena will tip off at 6:30 p.m.
Eastern Washington 77
| ## | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 09 | Cook,Andrew | * | 27 | 11-13 | 1-2 | 1-1 | 0-3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 24 |
| 02 | Williams,Mason | * | 37 | 7-13 | 4-9 | 2-2 | 0-2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 20 |
| 11 | McClain,Nic | * | 27 | 2-7 | 0-2 | 6-8 | 0-6 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 33 | Marquardt,Emmett | * | 27 | 2-4 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| 21 | Hartmann,Sebastian | * | 29 | 1-4 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 1-5 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 01 | Powell,Tyler | 17 | 4-5 | 2-3 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | |
| 08 | Zanki,Vice | 21 | 2-7 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 2-3 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
| 05 | Thomas,Elijah | 6 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 22 | Seale,Jackson | 5 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 00 | Winkel,Angelo | 2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2-0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 20 | Stockton,Sam | 2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2-0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | – | 200 | 29-56 | 9-25 | 10-12 | 8-20 | 28 | 25 | 16 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 77 |
Missouri 84
| ## | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | Mitchell, Mark | * | 31 | 6-10 | 0-1 | 1-4 | 1-2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 13 |
| 02 | Bates, Tamar | * | 22 | 3-6 | 1-3 | 2-2 | 0-1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 |
| 12 | Perkins, Tony | * | 30 | 2-5 | 0-2 | 4-5 | 0-1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 33 | Gray, Josh | * | 11 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 06 | Boateng, Annor | * | 4 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 31 | Grill, Caleb | 32 | 10-13 | 8-10 | 5-8 | 4-5 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 33 | |
| 00 | Robinson II, Anthony | 23 | 0-3 | 0-0 | 8-10 | 1-3 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| 04 | Allen, Marcus | 14 | 1-4 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 0-3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 35 | Crews, Jacob | 14 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |
| 23 | Shaw, Aidan | 12 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 21 | Marshall, Peyton | 5 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 01 | Warrick, Marques | 2 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | – | 200 | 26-48 | 10-18 | 22-31 | 8-20 | 28 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 3 | 8 | 84 |
2024-25 Missouri Tigers Men’s Basketball Schedule
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | TV/Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 4, 2024 (Monday) | 7 p.m. | Away | Memphis | Memphis, Tenn. | L 83-75 (0-1) |
| November 8, 2024 (Friday) | 7 p.m. | Home | Howard | Mizzou Arena | W 77-62 (1-1) |
| November 11, 2024 (Monday) | 6 p.m. | Home | Eastern Washington | Mizzou Arena | W 84-77 (2-1) |
| November 14, 2024 (Thursday) | 6:30 p.m. | Home | Mississippi Valley State | Mizzou Arena |  |
| November 22, 2024 (Friday) | 6:30 p.m. | Home | Pacific | Mizzou Arena | |
| November 24, 2024 (Sunday) | 4 p.m. | Home | Arkansas – Pine Bluff | Mizzou Arena | |
| November 27, 2024 (Wednesday) | 5:30 p.m. | Home | Lindenwood | Mizzou Arena | |
| December 3, 2024 (Tuesday) | 6 p.m. | Home | California | Mizzou Arena |  |
| December 8, 2024 (Sunday) | Noon | Home | Kansas | Mizzou Arena |  |
| December 14, 2024 (Saturday) | 11 a.m. | Home | Long Island | Mizzou Arena | |
| December 17, 2024 (Tuesday) | 6:30 p.m. | Home | Jacksonville State | Mizzou Arena | |
| December 22, 2024 (Sunday) | Noon | Neutral | Illinois | St. Louis, Mo. / Enterprise Center |  |
| December 30, 2024 (Monday) | 6:30 p.m. | Alabama State | Mizzou Arena | Mizzou Arena | |
| January 4, 2025 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Away | Auburn | Auburn, Ala. | |
| January 7, 2025 (Tuesday) | 8 p.m. | Home | LSU | Mizzou Arena | |
| January 11, 2025 (Saturday) | 2:30 p.m. | Home | Vanderbilt | Mizzou Arena | |
| January 14, 2025 (Tuesday) | 8 p.m. | Away | Florida | Gainesville, Fla. |  |
| January 18, 2025 (Saturday) | 5 p.m. | Home | Arkansas | Mizzou Arena | |
| January 21, 2025 (Tuesday) | 8 p.m. | Away | Texas | Austin, Texas | |
| January 25, 2025 (Saturday) | 5 p.m. | Home | Ole Miss | Mizzou Arena | |
| February 1, 2025 (Saturday) | Noon | Away | Mississippi State | Starkville, Miss. | |
| February 5, 2025 (Wednesday) | 6 p.m. | Away | Tennessee | Knoxville, Tenn. | |
| February 8, 2025 (Saturday) | 2:30 p.m. | Home | Texas A&M | Mizzou Arena | |
| February 12, 2025 (Wednesday) | 8 p.m. | Home | Oklahoma | Mizzou Arena | |
| February 15, 2025 (Saturday) | 2:30 p.m. | Away | Georgia | Athens, Ga. | |
| February 19, 2025 (Wednesday) | 8 p.m. | Home | Alabama | Mizzou Arena | |
| February 22, 2025 (Saturday) | 7 p.m. | Away | Arkansas | Fayetteville, Ark. | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| February 25, 2025 (Tuesday) | 8 p.m. | Home | South Carolina | Mizzou Arena | ESPN2 or ESPNU |
| March 1, 2025 (Saturday) | 5 p.m. | Away | Vanderbilt | Nashville, Tenn. | |
| March 5, 2025 (Wednesday) | 7 p.m. | Away | Oklahoma | Norman, Okla. | |
| March 8, 2025 (Saturday) | 11 a.m. | Home | Kentucky | Mizzou Arena | ESPN or SECN |
| March 12-16, 2025 | TBD | Neutral | SEC Tournament | Nashville, Tenn. / Bridgestone Arena | SECN or ESPN |