How Missouri Tigers shook off Cal’s 17-2 run to win 7th straight basketball game

The Missouri Tigers won their seventh straight men’s basketball game Tuesday evening at Mizzou Arena, rallying from 18 points down to beat the California Golden Bears 98-93 in an SEC/ACC Men’s Challenge showdown in Columbia.

This game no doubt meant a little more to Mizzou coach Dennis Gates, who played for Cal from 1998 to 2002. A spirited second half from his team of Tigers ensured he went home a winner.

The Tigers (7-1) — whose next game is a highly anticipated nonconference contest against Kansas at Mizzou Arena — had to turn things around big-time after a lackluster first half left them trailing 51-35.

They did exactly that thanks to stingy defense and torrid shooting — MU was shooting better than 80% after halftime late in the game.

The Tigers’ 63-point second half was the program’s highest-scoring half since a 64-point second half against Grambling State on Dec. 1, 2001.

Sophomore guard Anthony Robinson II led the Tigers with a career-high 29 points Tuesday night. Junior guard/forward Mark Mitchell scored a season-high 21.

Senior guard Tamar Bates helped spark the Tigers’ potent second half by scoring all but 2 of his 15 points after halftime — including two buckets thrown down as dunks. He also matched a season high with three steals.

Guard Marques Warrick added 12 points for Missouri.

For Cal (6-2), guard Andrej Stojakovic — the eldest son of former NBA star Peja Stojakovic — had 26 points and hit three 3-pointers. Cal made 10 of 24 three-point attempts as a team.

Jeremiah Wilkinson added 19 points for the Golden Bears, while Rytis Petraitis had 17 and Jovan Blacksher Jr. 13.

Cal out-rebounded Mizzou 33-24, but that was one of the only aspects of this game in which the Tigers didn’t hold court.

During their seven-game win streak, the Tigers have now beaten (in order): Howard, Eastern Washington, Mississippi Valley State, Pacific, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Lindenwood and Cal.

Gates and company haven’t lost since the season opener against Memphis — the Tigers’ final defeat in a 19-game losing streak that dated to last season.

Tuesday’s game was competitive throughout most of the opening 20 minutes. Missouri led 9-6 at the first media timeout, with all of the Tigers’ scoring to that point coming via Robinson.

It remained a tight affair until Cal rattled off a 17-2 run to end the first half. That helped the visitors take a 16-point advantage into the locker room at the game’s midpoint.

Cal shot 53.1% in the first half to MU’s 48.1%. The Golden Bears hit 6 of 11 first-half 3-point attempts to 2 of 6 for the Tigers. (Mizzou finished 3 of 9 from 3-point range.)

Mitchell had nine points at halftime. Warrick had seven. Wilkinson led the Golden Bears at that point with 13 while Stojakovic and Blacksher had 11 apiece.

The Tigers turned up the defensive pressure after intermission. They also stopped missing baskets.

Gray and Robinson made back-to-back shots, Mitchell sank a pair at the free-throw line, Bates hit a jumper and just like that MU was down just eight, 51-43.

Then Robinson hit two free throws and Bates made two more jumpers and Mizzou was within 5, at 54-49, with 15:04 to go. The Tigers got it to 59-57, then 61-60 when Bates canned a 3.

Missouri completed the comeback and took the lead at 65-54 with 11 minutes left, Warrick hitting 1 of 2 free throw attempts.

It was tied at 79 with 5 minutes remaining in the game. But MU held tough, battling for rebounds and sinking buckets.

As the final seconds ticked away, Gates — who as a player was a part of the Golden Bears’ NCAA Tournament team in 2002, way back when Cal played in the Pac-10 — could celebrate a most satisfying victory with the Tigers.

Missouri returns to Mizzou Arena at noon Sunday for a nonconference showdown against border rival Kansas.

This story was originally published December 3, 2024 at 8:29 PM.