Mizzou Scores Over 100 Points, Blows Out Mississippi Valley State in Big Win

The Missouri Tigers tied its largest margin of victory in program history in their routing of the Delta Devils.

Nov 14, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers forward Mark Mitchell (25) shoots the ball against Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils forward Walter Hamilton (5) during the first half at Mizzou Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

It didn’t take long for a win to appear in the cards for Missouri men’s basketball Friday night. 

The Tigers got their biggest win margin of the season, defeating Mississippi Valley State 111-39 in a severe blowout. It’s the first time they’ve scored over 100 points since their season-opening win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Nov. 6, 2023, and the largest point differential under coach Dennis Gates.

The tale of the tape came from behind the arc, where Missouri shot a 15-of-31 clip. Whether it be a pull-up attempt or in transition, the Delta Devils left plenty of open shots for the taking that the Tigers capitalized on. 

Missouri had seven players in double digits. Marques Warrick led the way with 16 points and four assists on 6-of-10 shooting from the field and 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range, while Caleb Grill and Tamar Bates added 15 points apiece. It was a balanced scoring effort, rather than Grill’s 33-point performance on Monday that carried a large section of the offense. 

"(Gates) gave me that green light from the recruting process. Basically since day one he's told me, 'just let if fly, shoot whenever you're open, create for yourself, for others as well, too'" Warrick said. "It's just things I've been doing for a long time now."

Most of the time the Tigers have been accustomed to losing the rebounding battle, but that wasn’t the case tonight. They grabbed 18 offensive rebounds to Mississippi Valley State’s nine, giving them 21 points off second chance opportunities. 

Missouri also forced 23 Delta Devil turnovers and scored 45 points off them. Mark Mitchell and Anthony Robinson II were the biggest culprits, recording five and four steals respectively. 

Given the blowout nature, it allowed Gates to give extended minutes to a few of the freshmen. As a starter, Annor Boateng recorded 10 points and two steals on 3-of-7 shooting in 25 minutes. Additionally, Marcus Allen dropped 10 points on 3-of-3 shooting in 14 minutes. 

Peyton Marshall also got 14 minutes of action, and although he scored just one point, his three steals and two blocks made a huge impact on defense. 

"It was great to see our young guys play the minutes that they played, get some nerves and jitters away from them and ultimately continue to grow in expereince," Gates said.

The Tigers move to a record of 3-1, and will take an eight-day break before facing Pacific at 6:30 p.m. next Friday.

Second Half

• Aidan Shaw has made a 3-point attempt. It's truly been a ridiculous night of 3-point makes for Missouri.

• 12:08 — Missouri 78, Mississippi Valley State 25: Like Monday, Caleb Grill has been a key factor in this game. He's gotten his total up to 15 points with 2-of-4 shooting from behind the arc.

• 15:53 — Missouri 66, Mississippi Valley State 21: Four minutes into the second half, and the Tigers already added another 15 points. They've already stolen the ball from the Delta Devils three times, leading to transition buckets.

First Half

• HALF — Missouri 51, Mississippi Valley State 19: A purely dominant half of basketball on Missouri's end. Warrick is leading the team with 11 points, while Tamar Bates' nine points are not too far behind.

• 2:41: Gates does a complete lineup change. It's experimenting time for the Tigers.

• Missouri volleyball makes an appearance during a timeout. Its seeking its 10th-straight win against the Florida Gators on Friday.

• 7:25 — Missouri 37, Mississippi Valley State 11: The lead just keeps growing for the Tigers. The 3-point shot is completely on, shooting 7-of-13 as a collective thus far.

• 10:57 — Missouri 24, Mississippi Valley State 6: Since the last break, Missouri has gone on a 13-4 run. Off the bench, Marques Warrick has already scored six points on 2-of-2 shooting from behind the 3-point line.

• 16:20 — Missouri 9, Mississippi Valley State 2: The Tigers jump out to a quick lead thanks to some transition opportunities from Anthony Robinson II's two steals. Trent Pierce is the first man off the bench.

Starting Lineup

Mississippi Valley State
Arthur Tate	Anthony Robinson II
Donovan Sanders	Tamar Bates
George Ivory III	Annor Boateng
Walter Hamilton	Mark Mitchell
Alvin Stredic	Josh Gray

Pre Game

• Trent Burns is available tonight, per Jon Rothstein. The freshman has yet to play this season.
• Tony Perkins will miss tonight's game with a leg injury, per Eli Hoff.

How to Watch: Missouri Tigers vs Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils

Who: Missouri Tigers (2-1, 0-0 SEC) vs. Mississippi Valley State (1-1, 0-0 SWAC)

What: Third home game for the Missouri Tigers

Where: Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo. 

When: Thursday, November 14, 6:30 p.m.

TV: ESPN+, SECN+

Radio: Tiger Radio Network

Series: 2-0

Last Meeting: Nov 20, 2022: D'Moi Hodge and Isiaih Mosley led the Tigers to an 83-62 victory over the Delta Devils at home, scoring 18 points. A well-rounded scoring game from the Tigers vaulted them to 5-0 on the season in the first year of the Dennis Gates era.

Last Time Out, Missouri: Missouri improved to 2-1 on the season thanks to an offensive explosion from Caleb Grill. The Tigers defeated Eastern Washington 84-77 behind 33 points and eight three-point buckets from Grill.

Last Time Out, Mississippi Valley State: The Delta Devils secured its first win of the season over Mississippi University for Women, winning 66-49 backed by Alvin Stredic's 14-point performance.