Jayden Stone scored 22 points and grabbed six rebounds to lead Missouri past Auburn 84-74 on Wednesday night in Columbia, Mo.
Mark Mitchell had 20 points, five assists and five assists as Missouri (13-4, 3-1 Southeastern Conference) improved to 11-0 at home. Trent Pierce scored 18 points and fellow reserve T.O. Barrett added 13.
Kevin Overton and Elyjah Freeman scored 13 points each to pace Auburn (10-7, 1-3). Sebastian Williams-Adams scored 12 points before fouling out with 4:56 left and Keyshawn Hall added 10 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
Missouri missed 10 free throws and turned the ball over 13 times, but it held Auburn to 40.7% shooting overall and 6-for-21 shooting from 3-point range.
Auburn pushed out to a 12-5 lead with a 7-0 run. Freeman banked in a halfcourt 3-pointer to beat the shot clock, then he drove the baseline for a dunk to cap that surge.
Pierce steadied Missouri with a traditional three-point play and a 3-point jumper. Anthony Robinson II hit a 3-point jumper, then Barrett’s layup put Missouri up 20-18.
Missouri increased its lead to 32-27 with Mitchell scoring three baskets at the rim.
By hitting 7-of-14 shots from 3-point range, Missouri finished the half with a 38-34 lead. Auburn built an 18-10 edge on points in the paint, but it had just one fastbreak basket during the first 20 minutes.
Mitchell drove the basket for a layup and a three-point play to open the second half as Missouri increased its lead to 43-34.
Overton rallied Auburn on an 8-1 run by hitting a pair of 3-pointers. Missouri answered with a 12-4 run to move ahead 56-46 with 12:48 left.
Williams-Adams converted a three-point play to cut Auburn’s deficit to 60-53 with 9:17 left, but Missouri answered again, with a 10-4 run capped by Mitchell’s three-point play.
Auburn rallied with full-court pressure that forced turnovers. With seven free throws, Auburn cut its deficit to 72-66 with 2:44 left.
Hall cut the lead to 74-70 with 1:46 left by scoring off another Missouri turnover, but Stone helped close out Auburn with seven late points.
–Field Level Media
