The air seemed to be completely sucked out of Mizzou Arena as Missouri and Cal departed for halftime. An hour later, fans who made their way to Columbia were electrified by a 98-93 Tigers win.

The difference in the game could have been a 17-0 run by Cal in the final minutes of the first half, during which they forced four Missouri turnovers. Jeremiah Wilkinson, who entered Tuesday night’s contest averaging 10.7 points per game, was a big reason for the halftime lead with 13 in the first period.

Missouri trailed by as much as 18 in the first half. Dennis Gates, growing desperate to fill the void left by an injured Caleb Grill, went deep into his bench as 12 Tigers saw the floor in the first 15 minutes.

Into the second, the Tigers went on a 14-1 run to trim the lead to five. Through the following minutes, they continued to trim the lead until Marques Warrick made 2-of-3 free throws to tie the game at 64. He went back to the line seconds later and gave Missouri their first lead since early in the first half.

“I think Missouri was absolutely dominant in the second half,” said Cal head coach Mark Madsen. Missouri shot 84% from the field in the second half.

Mizzou rode that momentum to take command of the game, thanks in large part to Anthony Robinson, who had a career night, posting a collegiate-best point total at 29. He made 13-of-15 foul shots and was 8-of-11 from the field, playing just 9 minutes in the first half, then every minute of the second.

“I knew they would be in drop coverage,” Robinson said. “My mom called me, she said I feel a good game coming.”

“I’ve seen Ant become more patient when he hears my demands instead of irritable,” Gates said. “He has allowed himself the grace for me to feel irritable to him.”

With 36 seconds left, Cal jumped on a loose ball and called a timeout. In a moment that embodied their night, they actually had no timeouts left, causing a technical foul to be assessed. Robinson went to the line and knocked down both free throws to extend the lead to six, their largest lead of the game, leading to the win.

Freshman Payton Marshall was another massive factor in the win, freeing up ball handlers with solid screens and lock-down defense.

“Payton is breaking through the wall most freshmen go through,” Gates said. “He allows me to challenge him, although he gets annoyed.”

This was Missouri’s sixth straight win and their final tune-up before no. 1 Kansas comes to town on Sunday. Tipoff is scheduled for 12 p.m. and can be heard on KCOU 88.1 FM.