After a week of rest, the Missouri Tigers hit the road for a top-20 matchup in Starkville, Mississippi against the No. 14 Mississippi State Bulldogs. The Tigers, who defeated No. 16 Ole Miss in their last outing, beat the Bulldogs in blowout fashion with a final score of 88-61. This game marked a huge milestone for head coach Dennis Gates, who won his 100th career game in his coaching career.

Going into the final four minutes of the first half, Missouri held on to a narrow three-point lead after a tight back-and-forth first half where Missouri’s biggest lead was only by seven. However, Missouri closed the half on a 12-1 run, bringing the team’s lead up to 14 at the half. 

The first half was highlighted by excellent three-point shooting from both teams, with Mississippi State going 6-for-13 and Missouri going 9-for-19. Leading the charge for Missouri on that front was guard Caleb Grill, who was 4-for-8 from the perimeter in the half scoring 12 points. Grill did not slow down in the second half as he scored eight more points and finished as Missouri’s leading scorer with 20 points.

In the second half, the Tigers continued the dominance as they outscored the Bulldogs by 13. Missouri built this lead with efficient scoring and suffocating defense, holding Mississippi State to 36% shooting from the field. Missouri also generated 11 turnovers and scored 17 off of those turnovers. 

Center Josh Gray was an impact player in this matchup, scoring a season-high 10 points. He also picked up his first double-double of the season with 11 rebounds. Gray played for 24 minutes, good for his second most all year.   

Missouri will continue its road stretch at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 5 against the No. 8 Tennessee Volunteers. 

Edited by Michael Stamps | mstamps@themaneater.com

Copy edited by Emma Short | eshort@themaneater.com

Edited by Annie Goodykoontz | agoodykoontz@themaneater.com