Dennis Gates details what sparked comeback vs. Minnesota
Missouri found itself down double-digits to Minnesota late in the second half on Thursday night.
The Tigers were looking for a spark to make a comeback and avoid their second loss of the season. They got it exactly what they needed.
It started with a Caleb Grill ejection. The senior took a hit as he fired off a 3-pointer, and he was vocal after he didn’t receive the foul call he was looking for. It led to a pair of technicals and an ejection.
Missouri’s Caleb Grill gets tossed. pic.twitter.com/gstnRkAyG0
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) November 17, 2023
Missouri head coach Dennis Gates believes that ejection fired up the team and led to the comeback.
“Caleb Grill gave us a spark by being ejected. I truly believe that,” Gates said after the game. “Without that, we lose the game. I tremendously mean that. Without that, we don’t get galvanized how that moment was able to define us. I credit Caleb Grill, the passion that he plays with. An unbelievable toughness for making that play, and that was to inspire his team.”
The Tigers also got a spark from someone off the bench. Curt Lewis had just 7 minutes on the night, but he had a team-high +16 during that time, picking up a crucial steal and a pair of buckets that helped Missouri in its comeback effort.
“Curt Lewis galvanized our team,” Gates said. “He’s plus 16 when he was in the game, more than any player on our roster. He was plus 16. I just asked him to stay prepared, stay ready, you never know when your number’s gonna be called.”
Missouri has already faced some adversity early this season, but ultimately, Gates believes it will serve the team well down the road.
“You can see in real in time the galvanizing points, the situations that guys go in and I wanted them to just smile when they faced adversity,” Gates said. “Whistle while you work, smile, don’t pay attention to any referee, allow me to talk to them and at that point, I just allowed our guys to just play the game and they were able to play the game a certain way.”