Anthony Robinson II had 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists as Missouri upset No. 22 Florida 76-74 on Saturday night in Columbia, Mo., in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams.
Mark Mitchell scored 14 points and Jacob Crews added 13 for the Tigers (11-3). Trent Pierce added 10 points after missing the first 13 games with an injury.
Thomas Haugh led the Gators (9-5) with 24 points. Alex Condon had 14 points and six assists and Xaivian Lee added 11 points.
Jayden Stone proved he was fully recovered from his broken hand while scoring Missouri’s first eight points on two 3-point jumpers and a transition dunk in his first game since Nov. 20.
But the Gators moved out to a 13-8 lead with Lee hitting a pair of 3-point jumpers and Condon sinking one.
After Robinson made a 3-point jumper to steady the Tigers, the Gators pushed their lead to 19-11. Missouri responded by cutting its deficit to 28-26 with Mitchell scoring five points during the run.
The Tigers rotated through 11 players and stayed within six points for the rest of the half. The Gators scored two late baskets on goaltending calls against 7-foot-5 Missouri center Trent Burns, then Burns closed the half with a 3-pointer to tie the game 39-39.
Missouri moved ahead 45-39 to start the second half as Robinson scored twice inside as Mitchell scored once in the paint.
After Lee hit a 3-pointer to cut Florida’s deficit to 51-56, Missouri extended its lead to 56-46.
Micah Handlogten scored twice in the paint as Florida’s 8-1 run cut its deficit to three points.
After the Tigers pushed out to a 64-56 lead, the Gators scored the next nine points to move ahead 65-64. Pierce answered with five straight points to put Missouri up 69-65.
The Tigers took a 76-71 lead on Crews’ two free throws with 9 seconds left, then Haugh made a layup and free throw with 5 seconds remaining for a 76-74 deficit. After Mitchell missed two free throws in the final seconds, Florida’s Boogie Fland missed a potential game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer.
–Field Level Media
