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In dominant fashion, the No. 21 Missouri Tigers (18-6, 7-4 SEC) climbed back into the win column with an 82-58 performance over the Oklahoma Sooners in SEC play Wednesday night at Mizzou Arena.
Mark Mitchell netted a career-high 25 points to lead the team to victory, reaching the 1,000- career point milestone in just his third collegiate year. The Duke transfer is the third Tiger this season to achieve the mark, following Caleb Grill (1,087) and Tamar Bates (1,093) who both accomplished it in the Tiger’s 83-65 win over Arkansas last month.
Mizzou established control early in the game, but the Sooners didn’t make it easy on themselves turning the ball over 13 times in the first half, shooting just 7-for-32 from the floor and 3-for-13 from the 3-point line. The Tigers led 44-24 at the half, with a layup from Mitchell in the final minute pushing him past the 1,000-point mark.
Oklahoma showed some fight early in the second half, outscoring the Tigers 6-2 behind a burst from guard Duke Miles, but it didn’t take long before the Sooner’s shooting struggles caught up to them. Mizzou coasted with a comfortable lead for the rest of the game with multiple guys getting minutes in the final stretch highlighting the depth of Mizzou which ultimately overwhelmed the team from Norman.
Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
Feb 12, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Caleb Grill (31) shoots against Oklahoma Sooners forward Jalon Moore (14) during the first half at Mizzou Arena.
With Oklahoma committed to bringing pressure on the perimeter, Mizzou made a name for themselves in the paint throughout the night, outscoring the Sooners 40-24 and converting on 26-of-35 free throws with Mitchell leading the way, bullying through defenders.
Caleb Grill chipped in 15 points, shooting 3-of-4 from deep, Tony Perkins added 12 and Anthony Robinson II finished with 10.
With the win, Mizzou improves to 16-1 home record on the year looking to keep the momentum rolling in the back half of their SEC schedule. The Tigers next challenge will be in Athens against the Georgia Bulldogs (16-9, 4-8 SEC) who sit 12th in the conference, before returning to Columbia to face their third top-two ranked opponent of the season in the Alabama Crimson Tide (21-3, 10-1 SEC).