Mizzou Tigers extend program-best SEC start with trey-driven home win vs. Auburn
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Missouri extended its program-best SEC start with an 84-74 home victory.
- Jayden Stone had a season-high 22; Mark Mitchell added 20 for Missouri.
- Trent Pierce hit five 3s and free throw woes hurt Auburn down the stretch.
The Missouri Tigers men’s basketball team remained undefeated at home — and extended its hot start to Southeastern Conference play — with an 84-74 victory over Auburn on Wednesday night at Mizzou Area in Columbia.
Auburn fought to make it interesting in the final minutes, clawing within four points with under two minutes left. But Jayden Stone’s contributions down the stretch, part of his season-high 22-point night, helped the host Tigers fend off the visiting ones.
“I saw our program respond to what we knew was going to happen,” Missouri coach Dennis Gates told reporters in Columbia. “A team fighting back late in the game and trying to find a way. That’s SEC conference play — it’s going to go possession by possession. We knew that.”
Stone scored seven late points — including a loud dunk — to put the finishing touches on a win that improved Missouri’s record to 13-4, 3-1 in the SEC.
Mark Mitchell added 20 points for Mizzou, and Trent Pierce was another Tigers standout. Pierce provided the majority of MU’s 3-point offense with five made threes; he, like Stone, also recorded a season-best in points: 18.
“I was feeling good,” Pierce told reporters at Mizzou Arena. “A little frustrated the past couple of games, especially the last game (against Ole Miss), where I went 2-for-8. This game I wanted to take all these shots and I felt like my teammates found me while I was open.”
Missouri struggled in the opening minutes of the game, shooting 1-of-10 from the field. But things would slowly heat up for MU, with Pierce draining a trio of 3-pointers before halftime.
And this time around, missed free throws benefitted Mizzou. Coach Dennis Gates’ squad went 21-for-31 from the line, but time after time, Auburn couldn’t take advantage of Missouri’s misses.
In a game decided by 10 points, Auburn missed eight free throws as a team, finishing 20 for 28 at the stripe. That may have affected how Auburn coach Steven Pearl’s hard-pressing team attacked in the second half.
“We had a double-digit lead, but there’s no doubt about it that they put themselves in a great situation to get away with eight (missed) free throws,” Gates said. “We were able to respond. That’s the most important thing I will focus on.”
The game’s final minutes were no doubt a little too close for comfort, but Mizzou’s lead swelled to 13 at one point in the second half. Kevin Overton and Elyjah Freeman led Auburn with 13 points apiece.
The Tigers now move to 3-1 in SEC play, one of the best starts to SEC play since joining. The Tigers also started 3-1 in SEC in 2024-25.
Mizzou faces yet another squad of Tigers on Saturday, making the trip to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to take on LSU. Tipoff is set for 2:30 p.m.
This story was originally published January 14, 2026 at 8:42 PM.
