Tigers Get Out to Fast Start and Roll in Third Win Against Delta Devils

A much-needed hot shooting night from Missouri resulted in a monster home victory.

Nov 14, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils guard Donovan Sanders (3) drives against Missouri Tigers guard Anthony Robinson II (0) during the first half at Mizzou Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The Missouri Tigers have struggled to get out to fast, clean starts against its first three opponents. Even if the level of competition wasn't equal against Mississippi Valley State, the Tigers did exactly that in its 111-39 routing of the Delta Devils.

Not only did the Tigers get out to a hot start, they had the best three-point shooting night of its season so far. They totaled 15 makes on 31 attempts, surpassing the most made of the season. The 48.4% mark was good for the second-best of the season.

That quick start can be attributed to buckets in transition, at the free-throw line and from the perimeter. Guard Tamar Bates, who finished with 15 on the night, opened the scoring for the Tigers with a three. Bates has needed more shots in these early games and he got them tonight.

It seemed like everyone had a great game against the Delta Devils. That could be because of its lackluster defense, or maybe everybody on offense was clicking. Every scholarship player who saw the court for the Tigers tonight scored. The only two who did not were walk-on guards JV Brown and Jeremy Sanchez.

"What I've tried to focus on is it's not about starting. It's about just getting minutes and you'll get your opportunity, just make sure you take advantage of it," Gates said.

The trio of freshman earned extensive playing time against the Delta Devils, all of whom dipped into double-digit minutes played. That experience is valuable for all of them, especially when it comes to erasing any nervous or anxious feelings.

"Great to see some of our young guys play the minutes that they play, get some nerves and jitters away from [them] and ultimately continue to grow," Gates said.

Annor Boateng, who was a member of the starting lineup and played the most minutes he has all season. He finished with 10 points and three rebounds in 25 minutes. Center Peyton Marshall scored his first point at the free-throw line, only going one-for-two at the line. He also grabbed one rebound, two assists and two blocks to add to his stat line.

Marcus Allen, who's becoming a defensive staple for the Tigers, scored 10 points and grabbed four rebounds to add to the impressive list of freshman performers. As s Gates continues to figure out his rotation for SEC play and the later slate of non-conference games, these early performances from the freshman will continue to make an impact on that decision.

The Tigers continued to shoot lights-out from the perimeter, with transfer guard Marques Warrick at the helm of it. He went perfect from the perimeter on three attempts and stretched an ever-growing first-half lead for the Tigers. Warrick's only miss from the perimeter the entire night came late in the second half with only 1:15 remaining.

Leading by as much as they did by the end of the first half, the Tigers had the game locked up with plenty of time to play. A team's game plan can shift or tone down when a team leads as much as the Tigers did at halftime, which was 51-19, but it did not deter Gates' squad from playing as hard as they could.

Bates and guard Anthony Robinson II, who earned the start in place of injured guard Tony Perkins, continued the Tigers' momentum to open the second half. Robinson II took one bucket to the rim and scored another on an offensive rebound tip-in, earning a single-shot trip to the foul line as well.

Thanks to the large margin between the two teams, Gates relied on his bench for most of the second half. It was then that Missouri fans saw Boateng, Warrick and company shine. Though the bench got emptied, starting forward Mark Mitchell saw a short scoring spurt in the second half that featured two triples and a couple of trips to the rim.

The Tigers continued to score and expand its lead in the late stages of the game. Forward Aidan Shaw saw his first minutes late, making the most of his game time hitting a three and adding an emphatic fast-break dunk. Boateng caught a lob from Shaw as well to add to the excitement.

As the buzzer sounded, the Tigers secured its largest margin of victory in program history, a whopping 72-point victory. This was also the first time Missouri has scored 100 points or more since Nov. 6, 2023, in its first matchup of the season last year against Arkansas Pine-Bluff, scoring 101. The outpouring of points on the board and the number of people who contributed, hopefully, should provide a boost for the Tigers going forward.

Missouri has a one-week break before its next matchup, but that does not mean the Tigers will take too much time off.

"We have been rats and we're going to get in the gym still. I mean, don't get that twisted, we know we have a lot of work to do. It's a great game. That's fine and all," forward Jacob Crews said.

They'll get another shot on the hardwood at 6:30 p.m. CT on Friday, Nov. 22 against the Pacific Tigers at Mizzou Arena.

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