How three letters — EGB — sparked Mizzou basketball blowout win vs. Alabama State

Missouri sophomore Trent Pierce drove down the lane and slammed home a two-handed dunk in traffic to give the Tigers a 16-point lead over Alabama State with 5:47 remaining in the first half.

The slam, which softly bounced off the back of the rim before touching the nylon, capped an 8-0 run. The Tigers cruised from then-on to an 82-65 win Monday night at Mizzou Arena.

“We have what we call ‘energy-giving behaviors,’ or EGBs, and just having little things like dunking the ball, that brings life to the team,” Pierce said. “I know the coaching staff wants to see more of that from me.”

Mizzou extended its lead to 42-22 after T.O. Barrett drained three free throws with 1:17 left in the first half. The freshman guard pump-faked at the right wing, got ASU senior Tyler Mack to bite and jumped into Mack on a 3-point attempt.

“T.O. is going to be a great basketball player here at Mizzou,” Tigers coach Dennis Gates said. “T.O. was able to give us some strength at (guard with) some quickness, some defense, but also, he was able to knock down free throws, and that’s key for us.”

Pierce and Barrett saw increased playing time due to sophomore guard Anthony Robinson II being ruled out due to an illness, according to an MU spokesperson. It was the first missed game of the season for Robinson, who is averaging 10.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.5 steals per contest.

Pierce started in place of Robinson and finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and two assists.

“I made the decision, because Ant had a little illness,” Gates said. “To put Trent into that spot, it was an easy decision for me just based off what he’s been bringing to the table offensively and defensively.”

One of Pierce’s assists came off an alley-oop to Tamar Bates that extended the Tigers’ lead to 48-28 with 18:36 left in the second half. Alabama State redshirt sophomore Amarr Knox missed a layup that was retrieved by graduate center Josh Gray, who gave the ball to Pierce to spur the highlight-reel dunk.

“Alley-oops, those always bring energy,” Pierce said. “A guy like Tamar catching that, when you don’t see (many) alley-oops toward him, I think that just really boosted the team’s energy in that moment.”

Bates led Mizzou in scoring with 16 points, and the senior guard also had six rebounds, two assists and one steal. Junior Mark Mitchell added 14 points and four rebounds.

The Tigers showcased their intensity early on. Graduate guard Tony Perkins intercepted a pass from ASU senior guard Micah Octave, drove nearly the entire length of the court and delivered an emphatic right-handed jam to give MU a 5-2 lead at the 17:21 mark of the first half.

Perkins finished with 12 points, five rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block.

While Mizzou (11-2) was without Robinson, Caleb Grill checked into the game with 8:02 remaining in the opening frame for the first time since the Tigers’ 81-61 win over Lindenwood on Nov. 27.

The graduate guard suffered a neck injury in the first half of that November game and was stretchered out of Mizzou Arena and visited the hospital. Grill was discharged that same night but was not cleared to return, having being labeled as day-to-day by Gates ever since.

“If it wasn’t for the doctors, Caleb Grill would have still probably tried to play and get back out there a week after that injury,” Gates said.

Grill sported a neck brace during warmups in the several weeks after the injury, and his first public practice without it on was the day before the Tigers’ 80-77 Braggin’ Rights loss to Illinois on Dec. 22 in St. Louis.

“He came in my office and threw the neck brace down and said, ‘It’s over with; I don’t have to wear it anymore,’” Gates said. “It’s really great to have his energy out there.

He probably made about 10 3s yesterday (in practice). At that point, that’s when I kind of knew, ‘OK, let’s see how he feels tomorrow, and we’ll go from there.’”

It didn’t take long for Grill to showcase his hustle and toughness. He intercepted a pass from Knox and dove for a loose ball with 7:08 and 6:35 left, respectively.

“He knew if he would have (dove) in practice, I would have probably blown a gasket,” Gates said.

After two misses from deep, Grill caught the ball in the left corner and drilled a 3 to put the Tigers up 33-19 with 4:19 remaining in the opening half.

“It’s good that I got this opportunity to get back out there and have a feel,” Grill said. “I’m just glad that I was able to heal quickly and be able to go out there and be myself.”

Grill knocked down another 3 with 13:03 left in the second half that extended Mizzou’s lead to 61-35. After the shot, he smiled toward the student section as MU fans erupted in applause.

“You don’t get these opportunities for the rest of your life,” Grill said. “I’ve just got to enjoy each game like it’s my last game, because you never know what is going to happen. … Every once in a while, you just need to smile and enjoy the moment.”

Grill finished with six points, one steal and a block. He came into the game averaging 13.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 1.3 steals per contest.

Alabama State (4-9) finished with 13 turnovers, with Mizzou (12) right behind the visitors.

“Unselfishness got in our way, and that’s a good problem to have,” Gates said. “But it led to some of our turnovers, and our guys were able to get back defensively.”

Mizzou begins its Southeastern Conference schedule against No. 2 Auburn (12-1) at 3 p.m. Saturday at Neville Arena in Auburn, Alabama. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network.

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