Missouri men’s basketball (2-1) faced Eastern Washington (1-2) at Mizzou Arena for their third game of the 2024-25 season. Missouri took the victory 84-77 on the back of a career day from Caleb Grill.

The Tigers rolled with the same starting lineup it used against Howard with Tony Perkins, Annor Boateng and Tamar Bates at the guard positions in addition to Mark Mitchell and Josh Gray in the frontcourt. Aidan Shaw, Anthony Robinson ll and Grill subbed in early as Missouri trailed 4-12. 

Grill provided a much-needed spark to the offense, scoring a quick seven points while throwing down a fastbreak dunk. He ended the game with a career-high 33 points and eight made 3-pointers, along with nine rebounds. Head coach Dennis Gates started running a 1-3-1 zone defense after the early defensive struggles. This switch gave the Eagles offense some problems.

The Tigers gained a double-digit lead at the half, leading 45-33. Grill and Mitchell led the way on offense with 16 and 10 points respectively, both shooting 5-for-6 from the field. Robinson was a jack-of-all-trades with four points, four rebounds and three assists in the half. 

After a slow second-half start, the Tigers rebounded with a 6-0 run. Jacob Crews hit his first three as a Missouri Tiger and Grill continued to score. 

“I benched [Grill]. He was mad at me, and he responded, it’s just that simple. We hugged and made up, but I benched him,” Gates said in the postgame press conference.  “Accountability is growth, and he allowed me to hold him accountable.”

The Eagles continued to be a pest for the Tigers, shooting a blistering 70% from the field and 60% from the 3-point line in the second half with 6:48 to go in the game. Eastern Washington trailed 67-70 and gave Missouri’s offense some headaches with their zone defense. 

“I think we’re kind of overthinking their sets, you know, they’re a unique type of team, unique type of style,” Mitchell said on the Eagles play. “But I think over the course of the game, we kind of adjusted to the way they were playing,”

Missouri held on for the win, winning 84-77 largely thanks to Grill’s eight points in the final five minutes. The Tigers outshot Eastern Washington from the field and in 3-pointers. However, Missouri struggled at the free throw line shooting 71% from free throw compared to the Eagles’ 83%.

Bates was a complementary piece with nine points and two steals in 22 minutes. Perkins and Robinson both had eight points and were positives in the plus-minus column. 

The Tigers finished with 50 bench points, marking the third time in a row the bench has had 30 or more points this season. This is a feat that has not been accomplished since the 2017-18 season. 

Missouri will be back for another home matchup against Mississippi Valley State at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 14 at Mizzou Arena.

Edited by Dylan Heinrich | dheinrich@themaneater.com

Copyedited by Natalie Kientzy | nkientzy@themaneater.com

Edited by Emily Skidmore | eskidmore@themaneater.com