Dennis Gates picks game MVP after Mizzou win vs. Vanderbilt. He didn’t score a point
Missouri guard Caleb Grill stole the ball from Vanderbilt junior Jason Edwards, threw the ball up the court to Tamar Bates, and the senior guard punched in an emphatic left-handed dunk on the fast break.
The slam — which put MU up three with 4:50 to play — injected life into the sold-out Mizzou Arena crowd, broke a 3:32 scoring drought and helped ignite a 14-6 game-sealing run to push the Tigers past Vanderbilt 75-66 on Saturday afternoon.
The Commodores (13-3, 1-2 Southeastern Conference) refused to give up amid the Tigers’ scoring surge, trailing 68-63 with 2:26 left when Edwards was fouled on a 3-point attempt by graduate guard Marques Warrick. The North Texas transfer, who finished with the game-high 20 points, made the trio of free-throws to trim MU’s lead to 68-66 with 2:16 left.
“Their last couple points came off free throws and fouls and our lack of discipline in terms of giving the shooter space to land,” Missouri coach Dennis Gates said. “I thought they exploited opportunities to get to the foul line, but also getting the ball up the court on speed dribbles.”
The following possession, Edwards fouled Grill on an attempt from deep at the top of the key with 1:52 remaining, and the Wichita, Kansas, product was able to capitalize, sinking all three attempts from the charity stripe to extend Mizzou’s lead to five, 71-66.
“Caleb is the spark that we (are) always looking forward to,” sophomore guard Anthony Robinson II said of Grill, who tallied 13 points, five rebounds and two assists. “Every time (he) touches the court, you can feel it, and he just juices everybody else on the team.”
An ensuing and-1 in the paint and two made free throws by junior Mark Mitchell iced the game for Missouri (13-3, 2-1), which secured its first back-to-back regular-season SEC wins since March 4, 2023.
“I was just trying to get to the paint, get to the foul line (and) get paint touches just like every other game,” said Mitchell, who led the Tigers in scoring with 19 points on 6-for-11 shooting and added seven rebounds, one assist and a block.
The Duke transfer also took advantage of scoring opportunities at the line, something he’s struggled with this season. He went 7-for-9 on free throws.
“I go to the gym and work on my free throws every single day,” Mitchell said. “Coach Gates is telling me to just not worry about the misses and just stay out of my head.”
Missouri led the contest by as many as 17 points (39-22) late in the first half, but the Commodores were able to trim the margin to as little as one point (61-60) before the Bates jam.
“When there’s a gap of foul shooting, in addition to missed shots, I thought we relaxed.” Gates said. “Ultimately, what we’ve got to balance against a team like that is post feeds with pinch-post catches with 3s and try to make sure (the opposing team) is off balance.”
Bates finished the game with nine points, three rebounds and two assists on 3-for-4 shooting from the field and a perfect 2-for-2 from 3-point range.
Before Mizzou’s triumph, Gates highlighted at a news conference Friday the Tigers’ ability to play multiple styles of basketball against the Commodores.
Gates has explored lineup possibilities featuring graduate center Josh Gray or Peyton Marshall, as well as the small-ball starting five of Robinson, graduate guard Tony Perkins, Bates, sophomore forward Trent Pierce and Mitchell that has taken the court for tipoff in back-to-back games.
“I think Trent Pierce is the fourth-tallest guy on the team, so I can’t say it’s small ball,” Gates said. “What I would say is (it’s) more versatile. ... We’re able to switch 1 through 5 versus (with) Josh.”
Regardless of what lineup was on the floor, Missouri showcased its versatility and multifaceted style of play in the first half.
“When you have guys that don’t pigeonhole your decision-making as a coach, it allows us to play a more fluid basketball game,” Gates said.
Missouri’s smaller lineup flowed offensively and shot a perfect 5-for-5 from the field and 4-for-4 from 3 within the first 4:04 of game time.
Bates opened the 3-point barrage with a shot from the right corner. Robinson followed up with a step-back top-of-the-key 3 and a scoop layup. Pierce drilled a 3 from the right wing and Perkins added the finishing touches with a step-back left-wing 3-pointer to put Mizzou up 14-2 with 16:27 to play.
“The shots came to us, and we were able to knock the first four shots (from 3) down in the first half,” said Robinson, who concluded the contest with 15 points, one rebound, a career-high eight assists and three steals on 100% shooting. “Shooters gonna shoot, and we knocked them down.”
The lineup was also pesky on defense, forcing Vanderbilt into three shot-clock violations in the first half.
The Tigers’ first forced shot-clock violation came with 16:48 remaining in the first half, while their second and third came on back-to-back Vanderbilt offensive possessions with 6:44 and 5:34 left. Those final two Vanderbilt turnovers came with Grill in place of Perkins.
In between the first and the second shot-clock turnovers, Mizzou ran a more traditional lineup, with Gray checking into the game with 15:46 left in the opening frame.
Gray once again showcased his ability to make an impact without scoring, saving two offensive possessions by throwing the ball off a Commodores defender with 13:24 and 11:50 remaining — both after missed 3-pointers by Grill.
The first save resulted in a Missouri score. On a set play, Gray held the ball in the high post and blocked off a Vanderbilt defender as Grill cut to the basket for an open layup.
Following the second save, Mitchell dunked the ball in the paint after Gray sealed off a help defender to give MU a 23-14 lead with 11:33 left.
“Josh is a first-team all-conference defender, and sometimes the things that he does (are) overlooked and underappreciated,” Gates said. “When he has in his mind that he’s going to change a game with his rim protection, pursuit of the basketball and obviously the IQ that he has, he’s going to be in the positive, and that’s what he did tonight.
“I’ll take Josh Gray, any day of the week, as the most valuable player this game.”
The 7-foot South Carolina transfer finished with a game-high 11 rebounds, one assist and two blocks.
Gray helped Missouri win the rebound battle (33-29) for a second consecutive game, and the Tigers matched Vanderbilt in forced turnovers and points from turnovers with 14 and 19, respectively.
The Tigers next take the court against No. 8 Florida (15-1, 2-1) at 8 p.m. Tuesday in Gainesville, Florida. The clash will be broadcast on ESPNU.
Copyright 2024 Columbia Missourian
This story was originally published January 11, 2025 at 9:22 PM with the headline "Dennis Gates picks game MVP after Mizzou win vs. Vanderbilt. He didn’t score a point."