Missouri head coach Cuonzo Martin is seen on the sidelines during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Tennessee Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)It was vintage Cuonzo Martin basketball on Wednesday night when the former Tennessee coach faced the Volunteers for the first time since his coaching tenure at Tennessee ended in 2014.
Martin's first Missouri team dragged the No. 21 Volunteers into a defensive slog at Mizzou Arena and then used a quick shooting barrage to surge ahead.
In the end, a late run by the Volunteers fell short and Missouri escaped with a 59-55 win.
"I like it ugly," Martin told the SEC Network after the game.
Tennessee squandered an eight-point first half lead. In all five of its losses this year, the Vols (12-5, 3-3 SEC) have led by eight or more points in the first half.
The loss snaps Tennessee's three game winning streak.
Tennessee plays at South Carolina on Saturday night. The Gamecocks (12-6, 3-3 SEC) are coming off a comeback home victory against No. 18 Kentucky.
Missouri's first lead came with 18:55 left when Jordan Barnett hit a jumper to put the Tigers ahead 29-27. They extended the advantage to 34-27 on a Barnett 3-pointer with 16:11 left. Missouri's lead hit its plateau with a Jontay Porter 3 with 6:43 left to make it 53-43.
Tennessee's Admiral Schofield (5) heads to the basket past Missouri's Jordan Barnett during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)The Vols then went on an 11-2 run down the stretch as two teams that pride themselves on toughness battled until the end.
Grant Williams led Tennessee with 15 points while Kyle Alexander scored in double figures for the second straight night with 12 points on 6-of-6 shooting. Missouri (13-5, 3-2) was led by Kevin Puryear with 12 points.
Alexander sat much of the first half after picking up two early fouls, allowing freshman forward Derrick Walker earned his most significant playing time of the season. Playing near his hometown of Kansas City, Walker remained in the game during a long stretch without a whistle in the first half. He scored four points and grabbed a rebound in his nine minutes of first half action.
Tennessee hit its first three shots from beyond the arc as it jumped out to a 17-9 lead eight minutes into the game. Missouri went on a 6-0 run over the next six minutes before the game turned into a defensive struggle.
After the hot start, the Vols missed their next nine 3-point attempts. Missouri went 0-for-7 from 3-point range in the first half. The teams went to the break tied at 27.
"One thing I said to our guys at half was that we were in great shape," Martin told the SEC Network. "Because we hadn't made any threes."
Missouri hit 4-of-11 3-pointers in the second half while Tennessee hit just 2-of-9.
Tennessee's backcourt trio of Jordan Bone, Jordan Bowden and Lamonte Turner made a combined 2-of-19 shots. Graduate transfer guard James Daniel hit 2-of-4 shots from the floor but missed the first of two free throws with four seconds left, allowing the Tigers to go ahead by four points with a pair of Puryear free throws on the other end..
Contact David Cobb at dcobb@timesfreepress.com.