Mizzou Knocks off Howard 77-62, Secures Home-Opening Win

The Tigers grabbed its first win of the season in ugly fashion, improving to 1-1 on the season.

Nov. 8, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers forward Mark Mitchell (25) finishes at the rim against the Howard Bison. / Amber Winkler/MissouriOnSI

By no means was it pretty, but the Missouri Tigers secured its first win of the season, defeating the Howard Bison 77-62 thanks to a bunch of solid performances. 

The best of the bunch was Duke transfer, Mark Mitchell, finishing with 16 points and eight rebounds in 28 minutes of play. 

Despite the win, Howard did everything in its power to hang around and make the final result shaky for the Tigers. This was mainly in part due to Howard’s high-efficiency three-point shooting, going 10-for-19 on the night. Compared to Missouri’s 3-for-22 three-point shooting, the Tigers lost a lot of points on the perimeter.

The Tigers held a 40-28 lead at halftime thanks to a late stepback triple from Tiger guard Tamar Bates. Bates finished with 17 points on the night, getting more looks offensively than the game prior. Missouri will need Bates to lead the offense to win games against quality teams, which means getting him the most shots possible. 

As the second half progressed, the inability to hit shots from the perimeter for the Tigers became more glaring and allowed Howard to narrow the score. The defensive pressure in both the full and half-court by the Bison also made life a little more challenging. With 5:42 remaining, Missouri only led 61-54 and Howard was a few buckets away from an extremely close game.

That nightmare became a reality for Missouri, with guard Bryce Harris knocking down a mid-range jumper to narrow the lead to four points. The Tigers, at this point, still did not have any sort of offensive response. 

The Tigers found its offensive response, thanks to freshman forward Marcus Allen and guard Anthony Robinson II. Allen scored four consecutive points, both at the rim, while Robinson forced a turnover and a layup plus the foul, extending the Tiger lead to 68-59. 

That late run gave the Tigers the boost it needed to propel them to victory. Missouri closed the game on a 13-1 run that put the game far out of reach for Howard. It looked shaky until the final moments of the game, but Missouri got the response they needed in its home opener.

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Second Half

FINAL: Missouri wins 77-62

3:00 Missouri 68, Howard 59: A much needed offensive spurt comes from freshman forward Marcus Allen and Robinson II. Allen scored four unanswered in the paint and Robinson forced a steal, layup and the foul.

3:43 Missouri 63, Howard 59: Bryce Harris makes the lead a narrow four points, leaving the Tigers in shock. Missouri continues to look for answers on offense.

6:51 Missouri 61, Howard 52: Anthony Robinson II makes a nice move to the rim to stop the lack of scoring for the Tigers.

7:39 Missouri 59, Howard 49: Bryce Harris throws it down to get the lead under ten points, but Warrick responds with two of his own taking it to the rim.

11:33 Missouri 57, Howard 43: Bates now holds the Tigers two three-point shots on the night. That has not been an area Missouri is able to score in tonight.

14:15 Missouri 50, Howard 38: Tamar Bates finds Aidan Shaw for a fast-break dunk and electrifies the Mizzou Arena faithful.

16:30 Missouri 44, Howard 34: Bryce Harris responds to a Josh Gray fast-break dunk with a three.

19:09 Missouri 41, Howard 28: Boateng scores the first points of the half, going one-for-two at the free-throw line.

First Half

First half stats from Missouri's matchup against Howard. / Stat Broadcast

END OF HALF Missouri 40, Howard 28: Tamar Bates drills a stepback triple as time expires to hit Missouri's first three-point shot of the game.

2:35 Missouri 33, Howard 24: Warrick is finding his footing in the MIssouri offense seemingly for the first time, getting to the free-throw line again and adding two more points. The Bison are still hanging around, however.

4:10 Missouri 30, Howard 19: A nifty finish from veteran guard Marques Warrick gets him to the free-throw line and extends the Tiger lead into double digits.

5:24 Missouri 25, Howard 17: Bryce Harris drills a deep, end-of-shot clock triple that is followed by a speedy and-one layup from Anthony Robinson II.

7:26 Missouri 20, Howard 14: The Bison are finding its footing from the perimeter, with triples raining from Marcus Dockery and Bryce Harper.

12:07 Missouri 14, Howard 4: A fast break lob from Tony Perkins to Mitchell extends the Tiger lead and gets the Mizzou Arena crowd on its feet.

13:48 Missouri 8, Howard 0: Both teams are going through a dry spell with some ugly basketball filled with turnovers and high-intensity defense. Mark Mitchell broke the dry streak with a pair of free throws.

17:35 Missouri 6, Howard 0: Buckets from Annor Boateng, Tamar Bates and Mark Mitchell put the Tigers up early. Those were Boateng's first career collegiate points.

20:00: Josh Gray wins the tip for the Missouri Tigers and the matchup with the Howard Bison is on.

Starting Lineups

Missouri	Howard
G Tony Perkins	G Anwar Gill
G Tamar Bates	G Jaren Johnson
G Annor Boateng	G Marcus Dockery
F Mark Mitchell	G Blake Harper
C Josh Gray	G Bryce Harris

Pre Game

• For the second game in a row, freshman center Trent Burns is unavailable for Missouri, per Jon Rothstein.
• Freshman guard Annor Boateng will get his first start of the season tonight against Howard. Boateng did not see the court in the season opener against Memphis.

How to Watch: Missouri Tigers vs Howard Bison

Who: Missouri Tigers (0-1, 0-0 SEC) vs. Howard Bison (0-1, 0-0 MEAC)

What: Home opener for Missouri

Where: Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo.

When: Friday, November 8, 7 p.m.

TV: ESPN+, SECN+

Radio: Tiger Radio Network

Series: 0-0

Last Meeting: Missouri has never played Howard.

Last Time Out, Missouri: The Tigers fell in their season opener against the Memphis Tigers, 83-75. Despite leading 42-32 at halftime, Missouri blew the lead and allowed Memphis to climb back with a 51-33 advantage in the second half. Anthony Robinson II's 16 points led the way.

Last Time Out, Howard: The Bison lost to the No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks in their season opener in a 87-57 blowout. Outside of Blake Harper's 16 points, Howard struggled to keep up with the onslaught of points from Kansas.