Mizzou basketball falls to Alabama in SEC road game. Here are three takeaways

Missouri, for the most part, kept it close and didn’t back down. But like the previous three games, there was no victory at the end.

Sound familiar?

The Tigers closed within one-possession six times in the second half against Alabama but ultimately fell to the Crimson Tide on the road, 93-75.

Confidence wasn’t an issue for the Tigers (8-9, 0-4) in a game that featured scrappy play and technical fouls. But with Alabama shooting 52.6% from the field and 48.1% from behind the arc, the conference’s No. 1 offense was too much for the Tigers, who have yet to win in SEC play this year.

Here are three takeaways from the Tigers’ fourth consecutive loss:

A good eight minutes ... followed by a drought

At one point in the first half, the Tigers trailed the high-flying Crimson Tide (12-5, 4-0) by 11 points, 33-22.

Then, a switch flipped.

Jesus Carralero-Martin, who has shined off the bench for the Tigers in conference play, splashed a 3-pointer. Anthony Robinson II made a tough layup a little over a minute later.

The Crimson Tide could only respond with a trio of free throws while the Tigers kept chipping away at the lead. Nick Honor hit a 3-pointer, and Tamar Bates made a tough shot with under a minute left. Bates then recorded a steal, leading to another score by Honor.

When the dust settled going into the break, Missouri trailed Alabama by just two points at 36-34. The Tigers kept pace to start the second half, but multiple scoring droughts outside the middle eight minutes plagued the Tigers.

After Sean East II scored a couple of free throws to pull within one point, 48-47, the Tigers went on a near-three-minute scoring drought, allowing Alabama to increase the lead by eight.

Those droughts have been a recurring theme for the Tigers all season.

At times, MU’s offense looks unstoppable. But in contrast, the team suffers prolonged droughts that make it hard to watch offensively. That has been especially true in SEC play.

At the end of the last three games, the Tigers finished 1-of-7 against Georgia, 1-of-15 at Kentucky, and 1-of-7 versus South Carolina.

A new Mizzou starting lineup

Missouri went a bit older to start the game.

Dennis Gates opened with a new starting five against Alabama. Along with Bates, Carter, East and Honor, he turned to 7-foot-5 center Connor Vanover.

Vanover, the tallest player in Missouri basketball history and one of the tallest in college basketball, period, played the first six minutes as Missouri took a 10-8 lead.

He added a dunk to start the second half and finished with two points, two rebounds and a steal.

The grad transfer from Oral Roberts replaced sophomore Aidan Shaw in the starting lineup; Shaw had started in seven of MU’s 16 games prior to Tuesday night.

Shaw did play 15 minutes, tallying two points, three rebounds and an assist.

Also of note: The Tigers announced they’d be without veteran guard John Tonje for the rest of the 2023-24 season about 90 minutes before tip.

Mizzou contained Alabama’s leading scorer

If the Tigers were going to earn a victory over Alabama, they likely needed to contain the Crimson Tide and conference’s leading scorer. Prior to Tuesday, Mark Sears led the SEC with 325 points, averaging out to 20.3 points per game.

The Tigers did limit Sears for the most part, and the 6-foot-1 guard from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, did briefly leave the game with an apparent foot injury before returning in the second half.

Sears finished with nine points on 3-for-10 shooting with three turnovers, but his teammates took over for him in the scoring department.

Five other Alabama players scored in double-figures. Aaron Estrada and Rylan Griffen each finished with 21 points, while Grant Nelson collected 13. Latrell Wrightsell and Nick Pringle combined for 21.

Missouri returns to the basketball court Saturday at home against Florida. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.

The Star has partnered with the Columbia Daily Tribune for coverage of Missouri Tigers athletics.