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  • Missouri Pushes No. 1 Auburn to the Edge, But Mizzou Ultimately Falls at Home, 55-54

Missouri Pushes No. 1 Auburn to the Edge, But Mizzou Ultimately Falls at Home, 55-54

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Basketball

The University of Missouri men's basketball team came up short in an intense showdown Tuesday night, against No. 1 Auburn, 55-54.

In front of an electric home crowd, Mizzou (8-11, 2-5 SEC) was led by Javon Pickett who contributed 17 points and six rebounds. Jarron Coleman put up 10 points while Kobe Brown controlled the boards with a team-high 11 rebounds and eight points. 

"You just got to find a way to win the game" said head coach Cuonzo Martin. "I thought our guys played hard. And the thing I said to our guys, I said 'they are the number one team in the country. But that means you are good enough and you got to take whatever goes with that.' I thought we played hard. I thought we played well. Tough pill to swallow. We'll learn from it." 

The Missouri Tigers jumped out of the gate early, going on a 10-0 run to hold Auburn to multiple four minute scoring droughts in the first half. Amari Davis put up eight points, helping Mizzou maintain the lead for over 15 minutes. Auburn (19-1, 8-0 SEC) came back to chip away at the Tigers' lead on 5-of-5 from the field, tying the game at halftime, 31-31. 

The second half featured a relentless back and forth fight for the lead, with both teams ending the game in the bonus. Auburn began to pull away with just under two minutes remaining off five-straight points by D.K. Johnson, securing a four-point Auburn lead. Mizzou found a way to punch back with a late three by Pickett, then stopping the ball on the defensive end. However, time expired before Mizzou had an opportunity to advance the ball. 

GAME NOTES

  • Tonight was Mizzou's 23rd all-time game against a No. 1 ranked team, the first time Mizzou has played a No. 1 team since Feb. 5, 2020 at Tennessee, and first time they have hosted a top-ranked team since Jan. 29, 2015 against Kentucky.
  • The one-point differential was the closest game between an unranked Mizzou and a No. 1 team since Jan. 12, 1952 where the Tigers lost 60-59. 
  • Auburn's 55 points were the fewest Mizzou has ever allowed to a No. 1 team. 
  • Auburn scored a season-low 55 points, their lowest in a game since Nov. 30, 2020 at UCF. 
  • Tuesday marked Pickett's sixth-consecutive game with 10 or more points. He has reached double-digit scoring in every game of 2022. 
  • Kobe Brown's team-high 11 rebounds marked the sixth game this season and tenth of his career where he has snagged at least 10 rebounds. 

UP NEXT
Mizzou heads to Ames, Iowa later this week for its second-straight top-25 matchup as they take on No. 23 Iowa State. The game is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 29 for a 1 p.m. tip on ESPNU.