COLUMBIA, Mo. (Interstat) — Missouri used a dominant first half to build a sizable cushion and held off a second-half push from Alabama State for an 85-77 win in men’s college basketball Thursday night at Mizzou Arena.

The Tigers raced to a 52-39 halftime lead before the Hornets chipped away after the break. Anthony Robinson led Missouri with 19 points and five assists, supported by Jacob Crews’ 20 points. Asjon Anderson scored a game-high 23 points for Alabama State.

Missouri improved to 9-2. Alabama State fell to 3-7. Attendance was 7,976.