Kobe Brown scored a career-high 30 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lift host Missouri to a 92-86 upset win over No. 15 Alabama on Saturday in Columbia, Mo.
Jarron Coleman scored 18 points and Javon Pickett and DaJuan Gordon each added 15 as the Tigers (7-7, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) won their third straight game against the Crimson Tide.
Jahvon Quinerly had 19 points and Jaden Shackelford added 17 for Alabama (11-4, 2-1).
The Tigers were missing guards Amari Davis and Anton Brookshire due to COVID-19 protocols. Davis has been the team’s second-leading scorer (10.4 points per game) and Brookshire has been starting.
Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin returned to the bench after missing the team’s 83-56 loss at Kentucky while sidelined by the virus.
The Tigers opened the second half with a 32-11 explosion — with Brown and Pickett combining to score 16 points — to move ahead 72-54 with 10:42 to play.
After Coleman’s 3-point jumper pushed Missouri’s lead back to 82-68 with 5:27 left, the Crimson Tide made a late charge.
Keon Ellis’ 3-point jumper with 34 seconds left cut Alabama’s deficit to 86-81. Shackelford’s 3-point jumper with 15 seconds left cut the margin to 88-84.
But Brown’s four free throws in the final nine seconds iced the game for Missouri.
The Crimson Tide opened in a zone defense and the Tigers responded by taking a quick 9-0 lead. Brown made three short jumpers inside the zone and Coleman hit a 3-point jumper over the top of it.
Alabama switched to man-to-man defense and reversed the game’s flow with a 14-2 run fueled by Shackelford’s two 3-point jumpers.
Missouri responded with an 8-0 surge to take a 19-14 lead, with Pickett scoring twice in the lane. The Crimson Tide answered with a 15-5 surge triggered by JD Davison’s consecutive 3-pointers to move ahead 29-24.
Alabama pushed its lead to eight points, 41-33, but Missouri cut the lead to 43-40 at the half despite having Brown on the bench with two fouls.
–Field Level Media
