Missouri Tigers survive late scare to stun No. 5 Florida, even after flagrant-2 foul

A birthday gift really doesn’t get any better than this.

As Mizzou head coach Dennis Gates celebrated his 45th birthday on Tuesday, his squad put a bow on his day, surviving a late scare in an 83-82 upset win over No. 5 Florida (15-2, 2-2 SEC) in Gainesville.

The Tigers have now won three consecutive SEC contests, earning their first conference road win since March 1, 2023, at LSU.

“This was an unbelievable game, great atmosphere,” Gates said. “Florida’s a great basketball team, potential No. 1 or 2 seed in the tournament, and they have a lot of pieces that make it difficult for opponents.”

Even so ... Mizzou (14-3, 3-1 SEC) coasted into halftime with a 16-point lead, highlighted by Caleb Grill’s hot shooting in the half.

Grill, who finished with three rebounds and three steals, went 4-for-4 from behind the arc in the first 20 minutes. His performance was just a piece of the bigger first-half picture, as the Tigers shot 54.8% from the field, 50% from 3.

“We just started hitting shot after shot,” Gates said. “Caleb Grill came off the bench and did an unbelievable job. Obviously that’s one of our strengths, is our depth.”

Grill, who Gates described as “on fire,” finished with 22 points, his most since returning to the court after a scary neck injury against Lindenwood on Nov. 27.

“The only thing on my mind was winning,” Grill said, asked about hitting a pair of crunch-time free throws to seal the win. “... The neck injury was one thing, then once I’m starting to feel better, sick with the flu. But I couldn’t thank our medical staff (enough) for getting me prepared, even the games I was sick.”

Florida, however, had a counter punch in the second half.

The Gators took advantage of the Tigers’ sluggish start to the period, cutting down a one-time 19-point margin to three with about eight minutes left.

Walter Clayton Jr. kept the Gators in this game, totaling 28 points. Clayton entered averaging 17.2 points for the season, highlighted by 33 points in Florida’s SEC opener against Kentucky. Rueben Chinyelu led the Gators on the glass with 10 boards before fouling out.

As Florida cut Mizzou’s lead down to 67-64, the Tigers went without a field goal for 4:22, finally breaking the drought with Mark Mitchell’s dunk at 5:05. The Tigers went 0-for-6 from the field during the drought, only adding to the lead with free throws.

While the Tigers slumped, the Gators kept biting back, partially with the help of Mizzou foul trouble. Tony Perkins was called for a flagrant-2 foul for swinging an elbow to Alijah Martin’s groin, and Grill was called for a flagrant-1.

“I thought Tony Perkins’ situation was a little bit (of a) basketball move, but the referees thought otherwise,” Gates said. “If he hit him in the nuts, he hit him in the nuts — (he’s) out. Next man up. ...

“What I’m thankful for is it did not impact our guys’ aggressiveness.”

Gates acknowledged the referees felt the need to clean up the game early in the second half. Mitchell, Marcus Allen and Ant Robinson had four fouls with under three minutes left, and Trent Pierce had three at the same mark.

The Gators ultimately cut the lead down to two, 79-77, after Martin made a layup with 38 seconds to go. But a pair of Florida fouls sent Mitchell and Grill to the line, with both making their free throws. Despite Martin hitting a shot from behind the arc with less than a second to go, the Gators didn’t have enough time for the comeback.

After the game, Grill — speaking on the Tigers’ postgame radio show — called it “one of the more resilient victories I’ve ever been a part of.”

“Everyone knows I’ve been in college for forever,” Grill joked. “I can’t recall any more resilient win than what we had tonight. We overcame so much adversity.”

The coach’s view?

“I’m proud of our team. They focused up,” Gates said. “Tonight, seeing our guys click the way that they did was very, very important for us. To be able to be on the road and hold the lead for 37 minutes in this conference is a very difficult thing to do.”

Up next: The Tigers return home on Jan. 18, hosting Arkansas (11-6, 0-4 SEC). Tipoff is set for 5 p.m.