Alabama
15-5,10-1SEC
Missouri
13-3,6-3SEC
No. 10/7 Alabama Suffers First SEC Loss, Falling at No. 18/17 Missouri, 68-65
2/6/2021 12:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Crimson Tide’s big comeback falls just short in three-point defeat
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The No. 10/7 Alabama men's basketball team fought until the end but fell just short at No. 18/17 Missouri, falling 68-65 on Saturday afternoon to suffer its first Southeastern Conference defeat of the season.
The Crimson Tide (15-5, 10-1 SEC) trailed the Tigers (13-3, 6-3) by 21 points, 60-39, with just over 10 minutes remaining. However, Alabama was able to mount a huge comeback by outscoring Mizzou 26-6 over the next 9:13 to cut the lead to one, 66-65, with 1:11 left to play.
UA was able to get back-to-back stops on the defensive end but could not convert, forcing the Tide to foul Missouri's Xavier Pinson with 4.2 seconds remaining. Pinson drained both free throws and a last second three-pointer by Jaden Shackelford was just off the mark, resulting in the final score.
Shackelford led four Crimson Tide players in double figures with 15 points, while Keon Ellis (12), Jahvon Quinerly (12) and John Petty Jr. (11) all reached double digits. Petty also led UA with six rebounds, four steals and two blocked shots.
Missouri was led by Dru Smith's game-high 16 points on the night.
Coach Nate Oats Postgame Comments
Our first SEC loss and obviously our guys are disappointed and I'm disappointed. I thought we gave ourselves a chance there to win it at the end. I didn't think we played like we need to in the first half. We have to find a way to get our guys started better in these Saturday morning games. I give our guys a ton of credit. We were down 22 with 13 minutes to go in the game and had multiple opportunities to take the lead late in the game. I couldn't ask for a better effort over the final 13 minutes. If we get that same type of effort for 40 minutes, then we probably win the game. We missed some free throws early and finish 12-of-21 from the free throw line, 11-of-24 at-the-rim shots and shoot 33 percent from the field – we just have got to play better. That's the bottom line."
Team Stats
- The loss marks the first for the Tide in conference play, snapping its 10-game winning streak which was the best start to league play in 65 years, dating back to the 1955-56 season
- Alabama shot 33.3 percent from the field and knocked down 9-of-25 (36.0 percent) from three-point range while Missouri shot 45.2 percent from the field and but was held to just 3-of-20 (15.0 percent) from beyond the arc
- Mizzou won the battle of the boards with 45 rebounds to Alabama's 43 and outscored UA in the paint 46-22
- The Alabama reserves outplayed the Mizzou reserves, scoring 29 points to the Tigers nine
- Jaden Shackelford led the Tide with 15 points on 4-of-12 shooting, knocking down six-of-seven free throws and grabbing four rebounds in 32 minutes of action
First Half
- After being tied at 7-7, Missouri used a 16-6 run over a span of 5:04 to go up 23-13 midway through the first half
- Mizzou extended their lead to pull ahead of the Tide 32-18 with 8:19 remaining in the opening stanza
- The Tide used a 7-2 run to trim Mizzou's lead to 37-26 with 2:37 remaining in the first half
- Mizzou closed out the final 2:37 with a quick 7-2 scoring spurt to take the 44-28 lead into the locker room
- Alabama shot just 31.3 percent from the field in the first half and turned the ball over eight times while Mizzou shot 54.3 percent with six turnovers
Second Half
- Mizzou started the second half with an 8-3 run to extend their lead to 52-31 with 16:30 left in the second half
- The Tide responded with five straight points before the Tigers answered right back with a 6-0 spurt to take its largest lead of 22 points, 58-36, at the 12:43 mark
- Trailing 62-42 at the 9:44 mark, Alabama used a 9-0 run to cut Missouri's lead to 11 points at 64-53 with 3:46 left in the second half
- After a pair of Missouri free throws, the Tide used a quick 12-0 run to cut the lead to a single point, 66-65, with 1:14 left to play, setting up the dramatic finish
Up Next
- Alabama will conclude its two-game road swing when it travels to Columbia, S.C., to take on the South Carolina Gamecocks on Tuesday, Feb. 9, at 5:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
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