COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Men's Basketball lost to  Alabama, 70-60, Wednesday night at Mizzou Arena. Sophomore guard Mark Smith and freshman guard Javon Pickett each poured in a team-high 13 points, but it was not enough to overcome 33 bench points from the Tide. Mizzou falls to 9-6 on the year and 0-3 in SEC play while Alabama improves to 11-6 and 2-2 in SEC games.

Smith turned in his ninth game scoring in double figures, connecting on 4-of-9 shots from distance. He also finished with a team-high eight rebounds. Pickett, after scoring a career-high 21 last Sunday at South Carolina, continued his strong play as of late with 13 points on 6-of-15 shooting while adding two rebounds and an assist. He played 37 minutes Wednesday.

Senior guard Jordan Geist pitched in nine points and sophomore forward Jeremiah Tilmon added eight of his own while grabbing seven rebounds.

TURNING POINT

Mizzou trailed 32-26 at the intermission and Alabama looked to be in complete control after scoring the first seven points of the second half. Mizzou countered with a 9-0 run in just 1:25, highlighted by a four-point play from Smith and a three-point play on a fast break layup from freshman guard Torrence Watson. That trimmed Alabama's lead to 39-35.

Alabama countered with a run of its own and Mizzou struggled to close the Tide lead as the four-point edge at that point was the closest Mizzou would get. The dagger came after Mizzou cut the lead to 61-55 on a Pickett jumper late in the second half. On Alabama's ensuing possession, Kira Lewis, Jr., hit a corner three late in the shot clock to push the lead back to nine with 2:24 to play.

TOP TIGERS

•  Mark Smith tallied his ninth double-figure scoring game this season, posting a team-high 13 points. He has scored in double figures in three of the last four games, including two of three SEC contests. He finished the night 4-of-11 from the floor, including 4-of-9 from distance.
• Smith also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
• Pickett scored in double figures for the second consecutive game and fifth time this season with 13points Wednesday night. He played 37 of 40 minutes.
• Tilmon posted eight points and seven boards in 27 minutes of action.
• Geist posted nine points and three assists.

GAME NOTES

• With his 13 points against the Crimson Tide, Mark Smith has matched his scoring total from all of last season at Illinois in just 15 games with Mizzou. Smith has 179 points this season.
• Smith hit four threes against Alabama, matching senior guard Jordan Geist for the team lead in games with 4+ threes this season. Both Geist and Smith have three such games this season.
• Following his performance from three against Alabama, Smith is shooting 47 percent from deep this season. That's currently the second-best mark in the SEC.
• Pickett scored in double-figures for the second straight game and for the third time in his last five games. Mizzou drops to 3-2 when Pickett reaches the 10-point threshold.

UP NEXT

Mizzou will be back in action Saturday as it travels to College Station, Texas, for a 2:30 p.m. game at Texas A&M. The game will air live on SEC Network and the Tiger Radio Network.

For all the latest on Mizzou Basketball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook (@MizzouHoops).