Alabama
21-5,10-3SEC
#15 Missouri
20-6,9-4SEC
No. 4/4 Alabama Falls at No. 15/16 Missouri, 110-98
2/19/2025 11:56:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Crimson Tide dropped its second consecutive SEC contest and first road game of the season
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The No. 4/4 Alabama men's basketball team dropped its second straight Southeastern Conference game, falling on the road at No. 15/16 Missouri, 110-98. The Crimson Tide's Mark Sears led all scorers with a season-high 35 points to go along with five assists in the losing effort.
The Tigers (20-6, 9-4 SEC) jumped out to a 12-0 lead in the opening minutes and led by as many as 20 points in the first half to take command of the contest. The Crimson Tide trimmed the lead to six points on two occasions but could not get any closer.
Mouhamed Dioubate recorded his third double-double of the season for Alabama (21-5, 10-3), finishing with 13 points and a game-high 10 boards. Labaron Philon added 14 points and Aden Holloway reached double digits with 11.
The Tigers were led by Mark Mitchell's 31 points on 11-of-15 shooting from the field, while Caleb Grill added 25 points and 10 rebounds in the win.
Head Coach Nate Oats Postgame Comments
"That obviously was not one of our better defensive games. You have got to give them (Missouri) a bunch of credit, they came out ready to go. They scored 18 (points) before the first media timeout. Getting our guys ready to go is part of my job as head coach, and I did not do a good job of it tonight. We did not start the game out well and we gave them 21 points off turnovers. They are top five in steal percentage, we gave them 12 steals and they scored off them. We did not do a great job prepping our guys for their pressure and they do a good job.
"I think they wanted this game a little bit more tonight. That is disappointing because we had a lot riding on this game. We were still in control of our own destiny with the SEC Championship, if we had won out. We no longer are, and Missouri deserves a lot of credit for it."
Team Stats
- Mark Sears recorded his first 30-point game of the season and fourth of his Alabama career
- The 104 points allowed by the Crimson Tide are the most points scored by any opponent this year
- The Tide is now 4-2 this season against AP Top 25 teams
- Alabama shot 54 percent (35-of-65) from the floor, 42 percent (13-of-31) from deep and 71 percent (15-of-21) from the foul line
- In comparison, Missouri shot 60 percent (35-of-58) from the field, 39 percent (9-of-23) from beyond the arc and 66 percent (31-of-47) from the charity stripe
First Half
- Missouri's 59 points in the first half is the most the Tigers have scored in a half this season
- Alabama shot 60 percent in the first half led by Mark Sears' 14 points
- The Crimson Tide committed 10 turnovers, which led to 15 points for Missouri in the first half
- Mizzou started the game on a 12-0 run, forcing Alabama to call a timeout at the 17:32 mark
- Aden Holloway was a spark of Alabama's bench, scoring eight points in his first six minutes of action
- Sears scored or assisted on 12 of our first 19 points
- Missouri's biggest lead of the half was 20 points (51-31) with 3:58 left in the half
- Alabama went into the break trailing 59-46
Second Half
- Alabama cut Missouri's lead to single digits, 74-65, at the 11:43 mark after a Labaron Philon layup
- Alabama would go on to trim Missouri's lead to six points (79-73) with 9:51 remaining, however, Missouri responded with a 9-0 run to regain its double-digit advantage (88-73) and force a Crimson Tide timeout
- The Tide was able to pull within six points once again, 104-98, with 1:22 left to play, but the Tigers again responded by scoring the game's final six points to result in the final score
Up Next
- Alabama will return home to face No. 17/21 Kentucky on Saturday, Jan. 14 at Coleman Coliseum
- Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. CT and will be televised on ESPN
