Robinson’s 29 leads Mizzou to 98-93 overpowering of Cal

Dec 4, 2024 | Uncategorized

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Missouri guard Anthony Robinson II (0) poses after being fouled while shooting in the second half of a game against Howard on Friday, Nov. 8, 2024, at Mizzou Arena. (CAL TOBIAS/ROCK M NATION)

The Florida point guard picked up a career-high with crucial points that turned the tide in favor of the Tigers.

The Missouri Tigers (7-1) took down the California Golden Bears (6-2) in a matchup that put a tally on the board for the SEC in this year’s ACC-SEC challenge. After a 17-2 run in the first half had Cal up 16 at the half, the Tigers rode a 63-42 second half performance to a 98-93 victory.

Coming into this game, the blueprint for beating Cal was on tape. Vanderbilt showed that if you can generate turnovers and win in the fast break you can come out victorious. Missouri didn’t do quite a good job of that in the first half, as they only had four points off of turnovers and generated just five turnovers to begin with.

Another area where the Tigers usually dominate is bench points, an area that has taken a hit since the Caleb Grill injury. Cal actually outscored the Tigers in bench points in the first half, the first time a team has done so all season. Additionally, Cal found a way to dominate inside the paint and force Mizzou to take some silly fouls to get them well into the bonus with formidable time to spare.

Anthony Robinson II got the starting nod at point guard and he made the most of it, picking up Missouri’s first nine points. Despite that, he seldomly played in the first half only having eight minutes to his name. The lack of minutes were in large part due to Robinson having two early fouls. Once Robinson left the floor, Cal did everything right. They generated turnovers, they rotated the ball, and they hit shots.

Defensively Mizzou had a very tough stary as they allowed Cal to shoot 55% from three-point land in the first half and this was mostly a result of wide-open looks. On top of that, on the other end the Tigers played very sloppy basketball and turned the ball over seven times.

After a T.O. Barrett jumper brought the game to 34-33 in favor of the Golden Bears, the visitors went on a 17-0 run that was highlighted by three straight shots from downtown. The run was highlighted by four turnovers from Missouri and missed assignments on defense.

Robinson’s reintroduction in the second half sparked an 8-0 run in favor of the home team, as he played a big part in six of those points being scored. Robinson’s ability to keep his eyes around the basket and to always look for plays was most notable in this game, passing up open looks for passes to even better looks. The run brought what was previously a somber Mizzou Arena crowd back into spirit, with Cal’s offensive possessions becoming more and more interrupted by crowd noise as every bucket went in for the home team. Robinson finished the night with 29 points on eight-of-11 shooting, a career high.

On the other end, Andrej Stojakovic was the catalyst to Cal’s offense. Stojakovic routinely found himself open from beyond the arc and when he wasn’t open he took the ball to the hoop and was strong through contact. Stojakovic finished the game with 26 points on nine-of-13 shooting

Josh Gray hasn’t had a big influence on the offensive side of the ball this season, but he is in an invaluable piece on the defensive end of the court because of his length. He’s also a lot quicker on defense than your average seven-footer, but with Gray being in foul trouble in key moments of the game it opened up the court for other bigs. Noticeably, Peyton Marshall and Aidan Shaw got increased minutes. Marshall, in particular, was very active in Mizzou’s pick-and-roll offense, generating open looks on ball screens for Tamar Bates and the aforementioned Robinson.

Thanks to halftime adjustments, Missouri brought themselves within just two points of Cal after being down 18 earlier in the tilt. With this lessening of the margin the Golden Bears decided to switch their defense into a 2-3 zone, to try and stop Missouri from being as active as they were in the paint and to help their fatigued roster on the defensive end.

Missouri’s answer to this was more screens from the likes of Shaw and Marshall and a higher willingness to get in transition off of rebounds. Ideally, if you get into transition quicker the other team being in a zone defense is going to have no effect.

Marques Warrick saw himself as a notable asset to Mizzou’s second half surge, as the Northern Kentucky transfer finally showed a bit of that scoring touch he was brought in to showcase. Warrick picked up 12 points on four-of-five shooting on the night, indicative off his role in Gates’ squad heightening in recent days.

Jeremiah Wilkinson is a freshman phenom for California and he earned that label in this game, picking up 19 points to complement Stojakovic until he fouled out with 4:26 left in the game. HIs foul out was drowned out by the man he was assigned to Tamar Bates fouling out less than two minutes later.

Mark Mitchell saw his offensive output increase in the second half, mostly as a result of the Tigers being in transition more often. Mitchell was aggressive when pursuing the rim and strong on his finishes, making him a needed asset in the paint. Mitchell picked up 21 points in the game, with the majority of them coming in crunch time.

Overall, Missouri shot 66% from the field and 33% from three-point land. In stark contrast, Cal shot 50% and were kept in the game thanks to shooting 43% from beyond the arc. Missouri were out-rebounded by the Golden Bears 34-24 while the visitors had 15 turnovers to the Tigers’ 11.

Missouri will now gear up for a huge game against No. 1 kansas, who they will host at Mizzou Arena on Sunday, Dec. 8 at 12 PM CST on ESPN2.

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