Missouri gets big road win over Alabama, ends three-game losing streak

Alabama was making a run, and Kassius Robertson had nowhere to go.

With just over 8 minutes remaining in Missouri’s game against Alabama on Wednesday, the graduate transfer had the ball in front of Missouri’s bench with the shot clock winding down and two defenders in his face. Unable to find an open teammate, Robertson heaved up a shot on one foot.

The result — swish.

Robertson carried Missouri to an improbable 69-60 win over the Crimson Tide on Wednesday, as the 6-foot-3 guard scored 22 points in a game that kept the Tigers’ NCAA Tournament chances alive.

The win was the 200th of head coach Cuonzo Martin’s career and snapped a three-game losing streak. It was also the first time the program won a game in Tuscaloosa.

“I think that could have been the start of a really bad skid,” Robertson said. “We put an end to it.”

Martin significantly changed the starting lineup for Wednesday’s game, benching junior point guard Jordan Geist and freshman forward Jontay Porter in favor of juniors Cullen VanLeer and Kevin Puryear. The start was VanLeer’s first since Nov. 16 against Utah, which was the last time Missouri started a game with that lineup.

After struggling to get going offensively the last few games, Missouri got off to a hot start courtesy of Robertson. He hit a pair of early three-pointers to give Missouri early momentum and jump out to a quick 8-7 lead in the first 4 minutes.

Missouri also got a big performance out of Porter, who scored 10 of his 13 points in the first half on five field goals, the most he’s hit since the team’s conference opener Jan. 3 at South Carolina. Porter’s fifth basket of the first half came on a hook shot and extended Missouri’s lead to 23-17 with 6:50 remaining.

After Alabama junior forward Donta Hall added a dunk on the following play, Missouri responded with a 10-2 run in fewer than 90 seconds to extend its lead to double-digits. Senior wing Jordan Barnett and VanLeer both hit quick threes, and sophomore Reed Nikko added a contested dunk that sent Missouri’s bench, including Martin, into madness.

The Tigers’ defense made Alabama, a team that likes to drive to the basket, uncomfortable. The Crimson Tide was forced to settle for a lot of jump shots on offense. Alabama’s star freshman Collin Sexton, who coach Avery Johnson runs his offense through, had 11 points in the first half, with the majority coming on jump shots.

Meanwhile, VanLeer stuck to Alabama freshman John Petty like flypaper, holding him to just two points on six shots after he came into the game averaging around 12 points.

“We made him take some really tough ones,” Robertson said. “We had him out of his rhythm right from the get-go.”

Missouri fouled Sexton and did its best to keep him out of the lane, but that didn’t stop the projected NBA lottery pick from hitting a pair of threes, one of which beat the halftime buzzer and cut the Tigers’ lead to 35-33 at the break.

Alabama slowly chipped away at Missouri’s lead in the first half by getting Sexton to the free-throw line, and got help from sophomore guard Dazon Ingram, who made a pair of layups and like his teammate, drew contact.

“Trying to get keep Collin out is easier said than done,” Martin said. “He can shoot the ball and is such a long guy if he gets his shot off you’re not blocking his shot. You make him shoot tough pull-ups as opposed to threes.”

The Tigers’ lack of depth began to catch up with them in the second half as foul trouble hit multiple players early on. The officials called nine fouls between both teams in the first 3:30 of the half.

Porter picked up his fourth foul with 17:12 left after he was called for his third on a block that he appeared to get mostly ball on. He received the fourth after he thought Martin was subbing him out and had to get in on a play late.

After a defensive breakdown put the 6-foot-10 Nikko on Sexton, who is 7 inches shorter, the freshman guard used the mismatch to hit a three that tied the game at 44-44 with 13 minutes left. Sexton had a game-high 23 points.

Missouri responded with a 12-5 run that brought out the best in Jeremiah Tilmon, who had to stay in despite having three fouls. Robertson said he went up to Tilmon at halftime with a short message: “We need you.”

The freshman scored six straight points to key the run, including a layup in which he split a pair of defenders underneath the basket. He also had a pair of dunks that silenced the home crowd and gave Missouri energy.

Robertson’s one-footed three came in the middle of Tilmon’s run and kept Missouri’s lead at two possessions, which is something the Tigers have struggled to maintain late in games throughout the season.

“That one was something special,” VanLeer said of Robertson’s shot. “I didn’t even know what to do.”

Just as Tilmon was heating up, he fouled out with 5:20 left. He finished with 12 points on a perfect 6-for-6 shooting, 10 of which came in the second half.

Instead of blowing a late-game lead like it had numerous times throughout the season, Missouri’s defense held. The Tigers kept Alabama scoreless for roughly 3  1/2 of the final 5 minutes to close out the game and hit free throws when needed to maintain control of the game.

Missouri now turns into attention to Kentucky, which comes to Columbia on Saturday. MU has never beaten Kentucky since joining the Southeastern Conference.

Porter said the team played with energy Wednesday, which was what led them to the win. Now it has to become a trend.

“This was the most motivated we’ve been thus far,” he said. “From here on out we hope to come out with the same motivation.”

MISSOURI 69, ALABAMA 60

This story was originally published January 31, 2018 at 10:21 PM with the headline "Missouri gets big road win over Alabama, ends three-game losing streak."