Mizzou’s Mark Mitchell battles to get a shot up during Tuesday’s SEC/ACC Challenge game against Cal. (Photo: Terrance Williams)
| NCAA Men’s Basketball | 1 | 2 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| California (6-2) | 51 | 42 | 93 |
| Missouri (7-1) | 35 | 63 | 98 |
Cedric Williams
Senior Editor
COLUMBIA, MO — Trailing by 16 points at halftime and looking like it was for sure headed for its second loss of the season, the University of Missouri men’s basketball team delivered a historic performance in the second half and stormed back for a 98-93 win over the University of California, Tuesday night at Mizzou Arena.
The game was part of the SEC/ACC Challenge, a series of games across the country where teams from the Southeastern Conference were playing teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference.
It was eighth time Missouri had played California and third time in Columbia. But none of the previous matchups were anything like Tuesday’s contest.
Mizzou’s Anthony Robinson II takes a short jumper during the second half of Tuesday night’s win over Cal. (Photo: Terrance Williams)
Cal went on a blazing hot 17-0 run in the final four minutes of the first half to go ahead 51-33. Mizzou only ended it when Mark Mitchell broke free for a dunk just before the halftime buzzer sounded. Still though, the Golden Bears had a huge lead and looked like they might coast to an easy win.
But the Tigers came out fired up in the second half and quickly went on a 12-1 run to cut Cal’s lead in half. Then, after the teams exchanged buckets, including a three-pointer by the visitors that put Cal up 57-49 with 15 minutes left in the game.
Mizzou kept coming though and within the next five minutes, the Tigers went on a 16-7 run to re-take the lead. Cal got within one point three other times and tied the score twice, but Missouri never trailed again.
Mark Mitchell slams one home during Mizzou’s win over Cal, Thursday night at Mizzou Arena. (Photo: Terrance Williams)
The deciding plays came with the score tied at 79. Mitchell broke free for a layup that gave Mizzou an 81-79 lead. Then, after a Cal miss, Anthony Robinson II made two free throws to extend the lead to four. And finally, Mitchell stole a pass and converted it into a breakaway layup.
Suddenly, Mizzou was up six with just four minutes to go.
Cal got as close as two points with two minutes left, but the Tigers held on by forcing tough shots and making their own free throws.
Robinson, Mizzou’s sophomore point guard, finished the night with a game-high 29 points and six assists. Mitchell had 21 points, with Tamar Bates adding 15 points and Marques Warrick chipping in 12.
Freshman big man Peyton Marshall was also a key contributor in the second half for Missouri. The 7-foot, 300-pounder from Atlanta scored six points and grabbed three rebounds and brought an energy to the court that his teammates needed and also seemed to fire up the Mizzou home crowd.
The Tigers have now won seven games in a row and are 7-1 on the season, with perhaps the biggest game of the season coming up on Sunday, when Mizzou will host hated rival Kansas at Mizzou Arena.
The Jayhawks are the No. 1 ranked team in the country and are the team many are picking to win the national title this season.
Tip off on Sunday is set for 12 p.m., and the game will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
California 93
| ## | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02 | Stojakovic,Andrej | * | 36 | 9-13 | 3-4 | 5-6 | 1-4 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 26 |
| 31 | Petraitis,Rytis | * | 29 | 4-7 | 1-3 | 8-8 | 1-2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 17 |
| 12 | Sissoko,Mady | * | 27 | 5-9 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 6-3 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 01 | Ola-Joseph,Joshua | * | 18 | 3-5 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 22 | Tucker,Christian | * | 8 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 00 | Wilkinson,Jeremiah | 27 | 6-12 | 3-5 | 4-5 | 1-0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 19 | |
| 10 | Blacksher Jr.,Jovan | 35 | 3-12 | 3-10 | 4-5 | 1-2 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 13 | |
| 34 | Dort,Lee | 13 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2-5 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | |
| 07 | Mahoney,Spencer | 7 | 0-2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | – | 200 | 31-62 | 10-24 | 21-25 | 14-20 | 34 | 24 | 18 | 15 | 2 | 10 | 93 |
Missouri 98
| ## | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00 | Robinson II, Anthony | * | 28 | 8-11 | 0-0 | 13-15 | 0-1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 29 |
| 25 | Mitchell, Mark | * | 24 | 8-14 | 1-2 | 4-8 | 2-3 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 21 |
| 02 | Bates, Tamar | * | 28 | 7-12 | 1-5 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 15 |
| 33 | Gray, Josh | * | 19 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1-4 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 06 | Boateng, Annor | * | 4 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 01 | Warrick, Marques | 25 | 4-5 | 1-1 | 3-5 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 12 | |
| 21 | Marshall, Peyton | 14 | 3-3 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 0-3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |
| 12 | Perkins, Tony | 17 | 1-3 | 0-1 | 3-5 | 0-1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | |
| 05 | Barrett, T.O. | 4 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| 23 | Shaw, Aidan | 18 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | |
| 04 | Allen, Marcus | 6 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 11 | Pierce, Trent | 7 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 35 | Crews, Jacob | 6 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | – | 200 | 35-53 | 3-9 | 25-38 | 5-19 | 24 | 21 | 13 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 98 |
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 | W 111-39 (3-1) |
| November 22, 2024 (Friday) | 6:30 p.m. | Home | Pacific | Mizzou Arena | W 91-56 (4-1) |
| November 24, 2024 (Sunday) | 4 p.m. | Home | Arkansas – Pine Bluff | Mizzou Arena | W 112-63 (5-1) |
| November 27, 2024 (Wednesday) | 5:30 p.m. | Home | Lindenwood | Mizzou Arena | W 81-61 (6-1) |
| December 3, 2024 (Tuesday) | 6 p.m. | Home | California | Mizzou Arena | W 98-93 (7-1) |
| 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 |