Mizzou Basketball Cruises Past Arkansas Pine Bluff, Stretching Winning Streak to 5 Games

Behind strong performances from the likes of Mark Mitchell and Anthony Robinson II, the Tigers won big over the Golden Lions.

Nov 8, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Mark Mitchell (25) dribbles the ball against the Howard Bison during the first half at Mizzou Arena. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Missouri men’s basketball just keeps rolling.

The Tigers strung together their fifth straight win, this time defeating Arkansas Pine Bluff in a 112-64 blowout at home Sunday afternoon. The second half struggles that have typically come to bite them didn’t appear, instead pushing the same offensive pace until the very end of the contest.

"I thought our guys did a great job connecting to the game plan," coach Dennis Gates said. "Each individually were able to tap in how they need to concentrate to continue to move us in a positive direction."

Junior Mark Mitchell was the star of the show for Missouri. The forward scored a season-high 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting, paired with five rebounds and a block. Although not a threat on the perimeter, his offensive prowess inside the paint gave the Tigers consistent points.

Mitchell struggled against Pacific with just four points on 1-of-6 shooting from the field, so knew he needed to come out in the next game with more of an attack mode.

"I just came out focused, aggressive. Obviously, last game, I didn't play up to my standard," Mitchell said. "I think I just got back in the gym, focused on something I needed to focus on and just try to do better.

Graduate senior Caleb Grill continued his dominance from behind the arc, dropping 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field and 4-of-8 shooting from 3-point range. Senior Tamar Bates also added 13 points of his own on 5-of-8 shooting from the field. 

Perhaps the most impressive performance of the night, however, came from sophomore Anthony Robinson II. The guard was everywhere on both sides of the ball, recording a double-double of 11 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and a block on 3-of-7 shooting from the field. 

It was the first double-double of Robinson’s young career at Missouri. 

"Just tracking the ball. That ties in with playing hard ... get every loose ball and just trying to do the little things for the team," Robinson said on how he got his high rebounding numbers. "That's what I'm trying to focus on."

The Tigers did struggle to shoot the 3-pointer compared to previous games, finishing with just a 9-of-32 clip. That was negated by their 54 points in the paint, as well as their ability to prevent the Golden Lions from having success in their own right. 

Arkansas Pine Bluff shot 9-of-28 from three — a more efficient night of shooting, but on less attempts compared to Missouri. It also turned the ball over 19 times, allowing the Tigers 33 easy points off them.

Missouri also had an uncharacteristically good game under the basket, grabbing 19 offensive rebounds that resulted in 24 second-chance points. Five of those rebounds came from Robinson.

Before Thanksgiving arrives, the Tigers will go up against Lindenwood at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in Mizzou Arena.

Second Half

• 2:30 — Missouri 102, Arkansas Pine Bluff 56: Well, not much has changed. The Golden Lions have battled back a little bit, but the lead is far too spread for it to matter.

• 11:23 — Missouri 82, Arkansas Pine Bluff 35: Missouri is continuing to push the pace offensively, even if the lead is well past the reach of Arkansas Pine Bluff.

• 16:00 — Missouri 63, Arkansas Pine Bluff 27: The Tigers open up the half with an 11-2 run. Six of those points were from Mitchell.

First Half

• HALF — Missouri 52, Arkansas Pine Bluff 25: Mark Mitchell leads the Tigers wiht 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting, while Grill and Tamar Bates each added 11 of their own. Arkansas Pine Bluff was held to 25% shooting from the field and allowed 19 points off turnovers.

• 3:52 — Missouri 39, Arkansas Pine Bluff 19: The first points for the Golden Lions since the 9:02 mark comes off a technical foul free throw. It's been all Missouri this half.

• Robinson is doing it all right now. He's already got five points, six rebounds — including four offensive boards — and a block with 9:03 remaining in the half.

• 15:44 — Missouri 19, Arkansas Pine Bluff 14: The Golden Lions have started to creep up on Missouri, but its still holding the lead. Both teams are hovering around 20% shooting from behind the arc.

• Marques Warrick and Trent Pierce are the first players off the bench.

• 15:44 — Missouri 8, Arkansas Pine Bluff 2: The Tigers go on a 8-2 run before the first timeout of the game. Caleb Grill and Anthony Robinson II each knocked down a triple.

Starting Lineup

Arkansas Pine Bluff
Christian Moore	Anthony Robinson II
Zach Reinhart	Tamar Bates
Caleb Jones	Annor Boateng
Klemen Vuga	Mark Mitchell
Quentin Bolton Jr.	Josh Gray

How to Watch: Missouri Tigers vs. Arkansas Pine-Bluff Golden Lions

Who: Missouri Tigers (4-1, 0-0 SEC) vs. Arkansas Pine-Bluff Golden Lions (1-5, 0-0 SWA)

What: Missouri's sixth game of the 2024-'25 season

Where: Mizzou Arena in Columbia, Mo.

When: Sunday, November 24, 4:00 p.m.

TV: ESPN+, SECN+

Radio: Tiger Radio Network

Series: Missouri leads 3-0

Last Meeting: Nov. 6, 2023: Missouri opened the season with a 101-79 win over Arkansas Pine-Bluff. Five different players scored over 15 points for Missouri, including Sean East II, Nick Honor, Noah Carter, Caleb Grill and Tamar Bates.

Last Time Out, Missouri: The Tigers handled business in a 91-56 win over Pacific. Guard Caleb Grill continued a hot streak, leading the team with 25 points, including 21 from three-point makes. Grill also notched a career-high with five steals.

Last Time Out, Arkansas Pine-Bluff:The Golden Lions fell on the road to Texas Tech, losing 98-64. Arkansas Pine-Bluff shot 52.1% from the field while Texas Tech shot 59.7%. The Golden Lions were led by guard Christian Moore with 20 points.