How Mizzou basketball dominated its season opener on the road at Howard
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Mizzou opened the season with an 88-67 road win, nine players scored.
- Tigers controlled paint and boards, registering 46 points in paint and 46 rebounds.
- Bench provided perimeter punch; MU hit 10 of 19 3s with eight bench makes.
The road back to March started Monday night for Dennis Gates’ Missouri basketball squad. The Tigers opened their season with a win on the road, defeating the Howard Bison 88-67.
The Tigers faced the Bison for just the second time in program history, as part of a three-game agreement to be played over the course of three seasons. Mizzou took the first matchup of the series last year in a 77-62 win at Mizzou Arena.
“I thought it was a great game,” Gates said after Monday’s win. “Our guys really went out, played in a tough environment.”
The Bison, led by head coach Kenny Blakeney, were projected to finish second in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) in the conference’s preseason poll.
Howard is one of the country’s prominent HBCUs, which Gates shared his appreciation for postgame.
“I wish every Division I high-major coach would put their team in a situation like we did tonight,” Gates said. “Going on the road at an HBCU, there’s some great coaches out there and we’re able to use our platform to show that.”
Here are some takeaways and numbers that stood out...
Mizzou’s depth shows against Howard
Mizzou was without Trent Pierce and Annor Boateng on Monday, both for lower-body injuries, but the Tigers still gave an all-around team effort.
Nine Tigers saw the court against the Bison, and all nine scored. In fact, each player scored at least seven points, with the Tigers scoring 88 points as a team with only two players over 10 points.
“We have some guys with great experience, and we’re just going to continue to put themselves in a great situation to go out and perform,” Gates said. “They executed the game plan and the scouting report.”
Jayden Stone came off the bench for Mizzou, scoring 13 points in his debut with the team. He missed the 2024-25 season at West Virginia after sustaining a freak injury that resulted in a concussion, seizures and temporary loss of usage of the left side of the body, he shared at Mizzou’s media day.
“It’s been a crazy ride,” Stone said postgame. “I’m just grateful to be playing, grateful that Coach gave me the opportunity. I know the stigma behind guys that transfer all the time, so I want to just come here, be a sponge and learn from everybody.”
Shawn Phillips Jr. looks to be as advertised
The Arizona State transfer was said to bring experience at the five, with hopes he could dominate the glass while being an offensive piece for Gates and his staff.
After Monday’s win, signs point to that being the case.
Phillips posted a double-double in the season opener, scoring 16 points with 11 rebounds (nine defensive). Phillips led the team on both fronts.
“Hats off to Shawn,” Gates said. “There’s no one out there like him in Division I. I think we have a gift, a guy that plays the right way. He’s very unselfish, he’s a team-first guy. So I’m proud of him.”
The Tigers excelled on the glass overall, with 47 rebounds to Howard’s 28.
Tigers dominate the paint
This wasn’t a close battle in the paint.
By the time the final whistle blew, Mizzou scored 46 points in the paint. Howard, on the other hand, had just 16.
The Tigers shot 24-for-42 from 2-point range, just over 57%. They also got to the free-throw line for 21 attempts.
Can the Tigers replicate their 3-point success?
The Tigers will miss sharpshooter Caleb Grill this year, as he played a large role in the team shooting 36.7% from deep last season. That was good for second-best in the SEC.
But it looks like they may be all right moving forward. Mizzou went 10-for-19 from deep, making 52.6% of its 3-point shots. Eight of those 10 made 3s came from the bench.
The biggest issues Monday
After making 26 of 34 free-throw attempts against Kansas State in an exhibition game, Mizzou didn’t see as many opportunities at the line against the Bison.
When the Tigers did get there, they weren’t nearly as successful, going 10-for-21 on free throws.
Turnovers were another problem for Mizzou. Mizzou produced 16 turnovers to Howard’s 12 on Monday, and the Bison took advantage of those for 12 points. However, the Tigers did win that category, scoring 13 points off Bison turnovers.
Former MEAC Preseason Player of the Year goes off
Bryce Harris was awarded the conference accolade before the start of the 2024-25 season, but didn’t make it through the full campaign. He suffered a season-ending injury after just seven games.
Harris is back for Howard and seemed like he missed no time at all, posting 27 points on 9-of-17 shooting. He went 4-for-9 from 3-point range and led both teams in scoring.
This story was originally published November 3, 2025 at 8:34 PM.
