COLUMBIA, Mo. – In a showdown of the two surprise teams in the Southeastern Conference, No. 18 Missouri stayed alive in the league race Saturday, becoming the first SEC team to take down No. 10 and first-place Alabama in a 68-65 victory at Mizzou Arena.
But it was anything but easy in the closing minutes.
A game the Tigers led by 22 points midway through the second half became a one-possession heart-stopper in the after a 12-0 Alabama surge. But that’s when fifth-year backup forward Mitchell Smith became the hero. Smith swatted Herb Jones’ potential go-ahead basket in the final seconds, setting up a pair of Xavier Pinson free throws for a three-point lead.