Carter, Tigers find their stroke in 92-85 win over Penn
Dennis Gates was right.
After Missouri shot 25% from beyond the arc in its season opener on Monday, the head coach was still optimistic about his team’s ability to connect from deep. He was sure they’d bounce back.
“Noah Carter is not an 0-4 shooter,” Gates said, using the senior forward’s stat line as an example.
Carter proved it in the Tigers’ 92-85 home win over Penn on Friday. Along with his teammates, the Northern Iowa transfer came out bombing away against the Quakers. Carter sank all three of his first attempts, each coming in the first four minutes of the first half, and kept firing heat checks as the game progressed.
By the end of the night, Carter had hit 6-9 from outside and finished the game with 28 points. It’s the second-most he’s ever scored in any game of his career.
“I've been telling everybody, 'I just need one shot to go in.' And I got that opportunity, it went down and I just carried on from there,” Carter said. “Honestly, my mindset was just 'keep shooting. If I'm open, shoot the ball.' And I know everybody has confidence in me and I have confidence in myself to shoot the ball. So just doing the same thing I do every day, it's sticking.”
Carter wasn’t the only one finding his rhythm from distance. Five different Tigers sank treys during the contest, the team combining to hit 16-35 on 3s — the fifth-most makes in school history.
It wasn’t necessarily a part of the game plan to launch from long-range so often. But once Penn made a 25-5 run to jump in front with eight minutes left in the first half, 32-25, it was almost a necessity.
“We made shots and I think those made shots sort of put us in a jump-shooting habit. And I didn't want to get into that early,” Gates said. “But (the Quakers) played a pack line style that forced us to use one of our strengths, and that's shoot the basketball. Which, I knew — we just didn't know when — we knew that we would be able to win games off our shooting ability. And we did that.”
The Tigers will hope for more nights like Friday’s, and more performances like Carter’s. But just like the season opener wasn’t a true reflection of Missouri’s shooting prowess, the game against Penn likely wasn’t either. For the team to earn the respect of their opponents, the Tigers will need keep knocking down 3s.
Mighty Morphin’ Tre Gomillion
“Tre” Gomillion is a secret identity. An alias. He moonlights as a basketball player. It’s all a front, a disguise.
Gates knows who he truly is. He likens him to a superhero from Marvel. Someone who only reveals himself when he’s needed. When his team gets in a pinch, Gomillion springs into action.
His true form is a coach. His real name is Cameron — Tre is his middle name.
“This is the fourth year that I've gone through it. So he turns into Coach Gomillion. Coach Cameron,” Gates said. “He started bossing me around and telling me what to do. … Then he starts taking the pen from me in the huddles. Then he starts talking to his teammates before I can even talk to them. And before you know it, he's telling (everybody), including the referees, what to do.”
Tre had one point, one rebound, three assists and two steals in the first half. With the hosts unable to pull away in the second half, Coach Cameron made his Mizzou debut.
Gomillion scored 10 points, hitting two triples, while adding another four rebounds, two assists and one steal.
“The second wind kicked in,” Gomillion said. “And something told me in my head that we needed to win the game, so I had to do whatever it took to get with the game, no matter if I had to score, defend, rebound, pass the ball. It doesn't matter, I'll just do whatever.”
Gates said the modern-day stat sheet doesn’t speak to how big of a role Gomillion plays.
“He turns into a different person, but that person is high-IQ, passionate, driven, unselfish,” Gates said. “He impacts winning. And it does not matter what level of player someone else has thought he was. I know what he can do and he knows what he can do. His teammates know what he can do.”
Isiaih Mosley receives a DNP
After coming off the bench in the Tigers’ season opener, Mosley stayed glued to it on Friday. Gates said it was his decision, and that the Missouri State transfer was available to play.
“(It's) no different than Mabor (Majak) DNP, no different than Ronnie DeGray DNP, Ben Sternberg got a DNP, Jackson Francois got a DNP,” Gates said. “Guys, we have depth. And hopefully, you can see how differently we can play.
“Now what's going to be interesting is to see how well we are when all cylinders are clicking. And that's where I see us growing, that's where I see us identifying and becoming a team with an identity. It can't be identified in just two hours. We just need time to do that. And Isiaih, I could've put him in, I could've run him, you know, no different than Ronnie DeGray, Mabor Majak. I just chose to tighten the lineups and went with the guys who were playing well.”
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