TUSCALOOSA, ALA. • Already with a short bench, Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin was a few fouls away from needing some managers and water boys to fill out his rotation Wednesday at Alabama, but the Tigers persevered for a much-needed 69-60 victory over a projected NCAA Tournament team.
Just as important, Mizzou snapped a three-game losing streak.
That explains why Martin strolled an empty hallway deep inside Coleman Coliseum, singing to himself in his deep, rich baritone an undistinguishable but distinctively happy tune.
“Great win for our program,” he said.
That much was undeniable. Martin’s team held the lead in this foul-filled slugfest for more than 35 minutes and unlike some defeats, the Tigers played mistake-free down the stretch, held off Alabama’s potent scorers and survived their own self-inflicted attrition to secure a valuable victory.
“It’s huge, huge,” said Missouri’s Kassius Robertson, who was just that for the Tigers with a team-high 22 points in 39 minutes. “That could have been the start of a real bad skid. We put an end to it. We lost some games we shouldn’t have to some teams we shouldn’t have, but we knew this game was going to be tough.”
The Tigers (14-8, 4-5 Southeastern Conference) did it on the defensive end, holding Alabama (14-8, 5-4) to just six field goals on 27 attempts in the second half and five of 20 from 3-point range for the game. Mizzou had its typical bundle of turnovers — 19 giveaways this time — but Alabama didn’t convert them into easy transition baskets. The Tigers controlled the boards with a 37-27 rebounding edge and overcame a 32-15 discrepancy in free throw attempts.
• BOX SCORE: Mizzou 69, Alabama 60
• SEC STANDINGS: Mizzou in 6-way tie for 6th place
“The physicality of Missouri just overwhelmed us from start to finish,” Alabama coach Avery Johnson said. “They were physical, they were passionate and I tried to warn our team about this the last couple days in practice, but they didn’t respond.”
Months ago this could have been billed as a showdown of McDonald’s All-Americans and 2018 NBA lottery picks, with Michael Porter Jr. leading Missouri into a matchup against Alabama’s Collin Sexton, the nation’s top-ranked point guard recruit.
With Porter still recovering from November back surgery, only Sexton could answer the bell. The nation’s top-rated point guard put on a show on his home floor with 23 points, while Porter, snug in his gray Mizzou sweatsuit, watched helplessly from the bench.
The group originally assembled as Porter’s supporting cast more than held its own as younger brother Jontay Porter added 13 points in his new role off the bench and Jeremiah Tilmon came through with 12 points.
Coming off three straight losses by double-digit margins, Martin adjusted his starting lineup and went back to a group he started twice in November, replacing guard Jordan Geist and Porter with Cullen VanLeer and Kevin Puryear. With Geist coming off the bench, Robertson moved into the starting point guard role, but Geist was quickly back in at the first media timeout to help guard Alabama’s star freshman.
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Coming off the bench seemed to ignite some production from Porter, who made his first three shots and five of his first six midway through the half, three on mid-range jumpers. Porter’s surge started a 12-3 run for the Tigers, who got consecutive 3-pointers from Jordan Barnett and VanLeer, good for a 31-19 lead before the final media timeout. The Tigers had to play small for long stretches with Tilmon and Porter sitting with two fouls, with the two freshmen playing just 15 minutes combined in the half.
But Porter made his presence felt with his rediscovered shooting stroke.
“I guess it was an awakening for me, a rude awakening,” said Porter, who had started six straight games. “Obviously nobody wants to come off the bench if they’re already starting. But I came out and told myself to play with confidence no matter how many minutes I play. The ball just fell for me.”
With Barnett joining them on the bench with two fouls, Alabama pecked away at Mizzou’s lead, finished the half on a 9-2 run and held the Tigers without a field goal for the half’s final 2:52. On Alabama’s final possession, Sexton melted off the last seconds and dropped a buzzer-beating 3-pointer over Geist, trimming MU’s halftime lead to 35-33.
With their interior defense much stronger than the last two games, Martin’s Tigers began to pull away midway through the second half as Tilmon and Geist both drew offensive charges in a span of three possessions. Tilmon’s defensive stop inspired Martin to break into a dance on the sideline.
“It worked out for me,” Tilmon said. “I didn’t see him do the dance, though.”
Not long before that possession, Martin had pulled Tilmon off the floor. The big man wasn’t supplying the fight Mizzou needed on the defensive end.
“I didn’t think his effort and focus was there,” Martin said. “He allowed factors to get to him. Our assistants did a great job, talking him through it, getting him ready when his number’s called.”
• COMING FRIDAY: Live chat with Dave Matter at 10 a.m.
• MIZZOU TALK: Sound off about the win at 'Bama
Quickly back in the game, Tilmon scored three straight baskets on two dunks and a nifty post move against a double team to keep the Tigers in front. Robertson’s 3-point heave off one foot with a hand in his face pushed Mizzou’s lead to 58-50, and one more vicious Tilmon dunk sent some Alabama fans headed for the exits.
“I cleared my mind,” Tilmon said, “and let the game come to me.”
“A lot of freshmen, it’s not going their way early, they kind of sulk,” Robertson said. “They quit. But Tilmon didn’t do that. I told him at halftime, ‘We need you. We need you. We need you.’ He did some big things.”
And Mizzou scored a big win. Perhaps, with No. 21 Kentucky coming to Columbia on Saturday, the kind that salvages a season.