COLUMBIA, Mo. – No. 15/16 University of Missouri men’s basketball led wire-to-wire on Wednesday night in picking up their third top-five win of the season, defeating No. 4/4 Alabama, 110-98, in front of a sold-out crowd at Mizzou Arena. MU improves to 20-6 with the victory and 9-4 against SEC foes, while the Crimson Tide drop to 21-5 and 10-3 in league action.
The Tigers now own three top-five wins for just the second time in school history – also accomplishing the feat in 1988-89 – and are one of two schools nationally this season with three top-five victories.
Mizzou’s 110 points is its highest-scoring performance in a regulation conference game since Jan. 13, 1990, when it managed 111 versus Nebraska. MU also tallied 112 points in a Jan. 13, 2001 contest versus Iowa State, but needed four overtimes to do so.
MIZZOU LEADERS
A week out from tying his previous career-high of 25, junior Mark Mitchell went even further on Wednesday, tallying 31 points on 11-of-14 shooting to anchor the offense.
Graduate student Caleb Grill provided a one-two punch for the Tigers and added his first double-double of the season – collecting 25 points and 10 rebounds.
Mitchell and Grill became the first Tiger duo with 25+ points since Xavier Pinson (36) and Jeremiah Tillman (33) versus TCU on Jan. 30, 2021.
Sophomore Anthony Robinson II added 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting while collecting three steals and a pair of assists and rebounds. Tamar Bates and Tony Perkins also scored in double figures with 13 and 10 points, respectively.
GAME RECAP
Missouri started the game strong and never looked back. Back-to-back treys from Trent Pierce and Robinson sparked a 12-0 run out of the gates, forcing Alabama into three missed shots and two turnovers on its first five possessions. Mizzou started 10-of-13 from the floor, 5-of-6 from deep, had six assists to just one turnover and forced four early UA miscues.
The Tigers led by as many as 20 points in the opening period, ultimately taking a 13-point cushion to the locker room. Their 59 first-half points are the most Mizzou has ever scored in the first half of an SEC game.
Through the first eight minutes of the second stanza, Mizzou’s lead teetered between 10 and 15 points as each team efficiently got to the charity stripe. The Tide came within single digits, 74-65, with 11 minutes left to play, and continued its push down the stretch. A 3-pointer drew Alabama within six before a Pierce bucket and a Mitchell and-one, which helped him surpass his career-high, ignited a 9-0 Tiger run, giving MU an 88-73 advantage at the under eight timeout.
From there, 13 of Mizzou’s final 18 points came from the charity stripe to clinch the win. The Tiger offense eclipsed the century mark with 1:59 left in regulation off a Mitchell free throw, sealing MU’s first-ever 100-point performance in an SEC contest.
TEAM STATS
Missouri shot 60.3 percent from the floor, its second time shooting 60 percent this season (California). The Tigers also attempted a season-high 47 free throws, converting 31. Alabama shot 53.8 percent overall, including a 41.9 percent clip from deep.
Mizzou collected 12 steals to UA’s four and had 21 points off turnovers to the Tide’s 12.
UP NEXT
Mizzou is slated to make its return trip to Arkansas on Saturday. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. from Bud Walton Arena on ESPN.
