Jayden Stone and Mark Mitchell combine for 42 to lift Mizzou past Auburn

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

In a showdown of Tigers, Mizzou men's basketball took home a win over Auburn 84-74 to improve to 3-1 in SEC play.

After suffering a loss against Ole Miss on the road on Saturday, MU returned to their home floor in the hunt for a bounce back win. Despite Auburn finding its rythym early, the Mizzou found a spark off the bench from Junior Trent Pierce. He scored 12 of the teams first 26 points including three from beyond the arc.

Mark Mitchell followed suit opening the second half to reach his eighth game this season with 20 points or more. Mizzou lead by as much as 13 in the second frame, and even with the visitors mounting a late charge, head coach Dennis Gates' squad managed to fend it off the comeback.

Jayden Stone scored 16 to help keep MU in the drivers seat, and lead all scorers with 22 points. T.O. Barrett also had one of his most impressive outings of the year, adding 12 points of his own off of the bench.

Coach Gates and company also had an impressive performance from on the defensive end, keeping every Auburn player to 10 points or less. Despite the win, the team's struggles from the free throw line continued into Wednesday's contest, as the team went just 16-of-24 from the charity stripe.

Up Next - Mizzou will travel to take on another set of Tigers. The game against LSU is scheduled to tip off at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 17.