Mizzou guard Anthony Robinson II leaps to make a pass during Friday’s game against Howard. (Photo: Terrance Williams)
| NCAA Men’s Basketball | 1 | 2 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Howard (0-2) | 28 | 34 | 62 |
| Missouri (1-1) | 40 | 37 | 77 |
Cedric Williams
Senior Editor
COLUMBIA, MO — The infamous streak is finally over.
It had been nearly a full year — 314 days to be exact — since the last time the University of Missouri men’s basketball team had won a game.
But the Tigers were able end that torment for themselves and their fans on Friday night, when they defeated Howard University, 77-62, in a non-conference game at Mizzou Arena.
“Our kids showed character,” Mizzou head coach Dennis Gates said. “I’m excited about our growth from last game to this game.”
Missouri’s last win came on December 30, 2023, when the Tigers defeated Central Arkansas. After that, Missouri lost 20 games in a row — all 18 of last season’s Southeastern Conference games, their first round game in the SEC Tournament, and the season opener this year against Memphis.
On Friday, Mizzou controlled the action for most of the night, by delivering a terrific defensive effort and dominating inside the paint. The Tigers held Howard to just 12 two-point field goals, forced 17 turnovers, outscored the Bison 42-20 inside the paint, and shot 31 free throws, of which Mizzou made 24 of them.
Howard stayed in the game by shooting 10-of-19 from three-point land, while the Tigers made just three of 22 three’s.
“We knew that they were going to come out fighting,” Gates said. “Last game, our intensity suffered because of those early foul calls. We didn’t allow that to get to us (tonight). Our guys made free throws tonight, and you can see the confidence at which they shot it.”
In the first half, the star of the show in the paint was Mark Mitchell, as Howard seldom had an answer for his presence. The Duke transfer finished with 16 points, 14 of which came in the first half. All four of his field goals came inside the painted area, and he went a perfect 8/8 from the charity stripe. Mitchell also led the team with eight rebounds.
Mizzou senior Tamar Bates scored a game-high 17 points in the Tigers’ 77-62 win over Howard on Friday. (Photo: Terrance Williams)
Fellow senior Tamar Bates led Mizzou with 17 points and was the player that made all three of the Tigers’ three-pointers, including a stepback three in the final second of the first half that gave Mizzou a 40-28 halftime lead.
Bates also came through in the clutch late in the second half, when Howard had trimmed Missouri’s lead to just four points. The 6-foot-5 lefty drilled a three that capped an 11-0 run that put Mizzou ahead 74-59 with 1:25 left in the game.
“We knew in the scout that they were a team that likes to play into the end of the shot clock,” Bates said. “That was just about our endurance on defense and just being able to stay on the line and disrupt passes when it’s two, one, even point-five seconds on the shot clock.”
Sophomore point guard Anthony Robinson II, who started the opener at Memphis but came off the bench on Friday, scored 13 points, which included five-of-six made free throws, and made three steals.
Mizzou freshman Annor Boateng battles two Howard defenders for a loose ball during Friday’s NCAA men’s basketball game at Mizzou Arena. (Photo: Terrance Williams)
Mizzou (1-1) will be back in action on Monday, when it will host Eastern Washington in another non-conference game at Mizzou Arena. Tip off is set for 6 p.m., and the game will be streamed live on SEC Network+.
Eastern Washington is also 1-1, after winning its season opener against Seattle on Monday, but losing its second game to Colorado on Wednesday.
Howard 62
| ## | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05 | Dockery,Marcus | * | 35 | 5-12 | 4-7 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| 34 | Harris,Bryce | * | 28 | 4-10 | 2-3 | 1-2 | 2-2 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| 03 | Johnson,Jaren | * | 30 | 3-6 | 3-4 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| 01 | Gill,Anwar | * | 29 | 4-7 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-5 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| 07 | Harper,Blake | * | 33 | 1-9 | 0-2 | 5-6 | 2-6 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
| 11 | Okojie,Ose | 16 | 2-6 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 1-0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
| 08 | Strong,Joshua | 17 | 1-3 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |
| 04 | Stewart,Miles | 8 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 21 | Robins,Calvin | 0+ | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 15 | Shockley-Okeke,Cameron | 4 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 14 | Taiwo,Ayodele | 0+ | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2-4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | – | 200 | 22-55 | 10-19 | 8-10 | 8-21 | 29 | 19 | 14 | 17 | 0 | 5 | 62 |
Missouri 77
| ## | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02 | Bates, Tamar | * | 28 | 6-11 | 3-7 | 2-2 | 1-3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 17 |
| 25 | Mitchell, Mark | * | 27 | 4-7 | 0-1 | 8-8 | 3-5 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| 33 | Gray, Josh | * | 13 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 2-4 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 06 | Boateng, Annor | * | 9 | 2-4 | 0-1 | 1-2 | 0-1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| 12 | Perkins, Tony | * | 24 | 0-3 | 0-1 | 4-6 | 0-4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 00 | Robinson II, Anthony | 24 | 4-7 | 0-3 | 5-6 | 0-2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 13 | |
| 01 | Warrick, Marques | 14 | 2-5 | 0-3 | 3-3 | 0-1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | |
| 23 | Shaw, Aidan | 26 | 2-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| 04 | Allen, Marcus | 12 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| 31 | Grill, Caleb | 13 | 0-3 | 0-3 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 11 | Pierce, Trent | 6 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 35 | Crews, Jacob | 4 | 0-3 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 17 | Brown, JV | 0+ | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | – | 200 | 24-51 | 3-22 | 26-31 | 8-26 | 34 | 14 | 9 | 12 | 4 | 11 | 77 |
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 (2-0) |
| November 11, 2024 (Monday) | 6 p.m. | Home | Eastern Washington | Mizzou Arena |  |
| 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 |