Matthew GustafsonThu, January 15, 2026 at 2:39 AM UTC·3 min readThe last time Missouri beat Auburn in men’s basketball, Dennis Gates was in his first season as the head coach at Cleveland State. MU had faced the Tigers from The Plains five times since that win during the 2019-20 season, and Mizzou was dealt a loss in each matchup.
That streak ended Wednesday night as the Tigers from Columbia took down their Auburn counterparts 84-74, notching a third win in four SEC games.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMizzou’s bench played a key role in the victory, combining for 31 points. That marked the first time MU’s reserves crossed the 20-point threshold in SEC play, and the first time doing so in a win since the 85-77 victory over Alabama State in early December.
Trent Pierce played a key role among Mizzou’s players coming off the bench, recording 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting. He passed his season high in scoring during the first half with a 3-of-5 performance from beyond the arc over the first 20 minutes of action.
Pierce’s hot shooting from deep powered a 47 percent performance for MU from three-point range. Jayden Stone was the only other Mizzou player to hit more than one three-pointer, splashing two triples late in the first half as the team took a 38-34 lead into the break.
Stone ended the game with 22 points, a team high and his third straight performance finishing in double-digit scoring. Together, he and Pierce combined for 40 of the team’s 84 points.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMU started ice-cold from the field, going 1-of-11 to start the first half. An early three from Jacob Crews was the team’s only made shot from the floor until a transition dunk by Pierce that also drew a foul.
That and-one helped spark Mizzou’s offense, and the team seized a 26-22 lead with 5:52 left in the opening half after consecutive triples from — you guessed it — Pierce.
T.O. Barrett also provided MU with a jolt off the bench, finishing the game with a career-high 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting. He added three assists and three rebounds.
A season-long leading performer also played a major role in lifting Mizzou to victory. Mark Mitchell put up 20 points with five rebounds and spurred the team on as it took a healthy lead for most of the second half.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMU took its first double-digit lead of the contest, 56-46, after two made free throws by Barrett with 12:48 left in the second half.
Mizzou led by 13 as late as 4:16 remaining on a layup by Barrett, 72-59. Auburn began to apply full-court pressure with success, holding MU scoreless for nearly two minutes after that basket and cutting the lead to four with 1:46 left.
But Mizzou figured out the press in the final minutes. Jayden Stone hit a key layup, drawing a foul and sinking the free throw, to give the team back a seven point cushion. MU closed out the game on a 10-4 run and went a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe during that stretch.
Mizzou is now 13-4 and 3-1 in SEC play after the victory, which gives the team another valuable result for their tournament resume. MU entered the game either barely or solidly on the bubble in most major bracket projections.
Next up for Mizzou is a matchup with another Tigers squad, LSU, in Baton Rouge on Saturday. That game will tip off at 2:30 p.m. and be broadcast on SEC Network.
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