Togetherness Enables Mizzou To Outlast Late Push In Auburn Win

Mizzou Arena fell a small spot silent astatine nan 1:46 people of Missouri's matchup pinch Auburn, arsenic a double-digit lead abruptly sat astatine only 4 points.

Missouri had 2 options aft its erstwhile ample lead dwindled. It could bounce backmost and return attraction of business aliases autumn isolated and not adjacent nan crippled out, which would consequence successful a second-straight disfigured nonaccomplishment and immoderate unhappy fans.

The Tigers chose nan first of nan 2 options. They came together, removed immoderate distractions and opted to power what they could control. Because of that, Missouri walked distant pinch an 84-74 triumph complete Auburn, improving to 13-4 wide and 3-1 successful conference. It each stemmed from togetherness and trust.

"In nan past, we've struggled pinch complaining astir nan calls of nan refs and showing bad assemblage language, but I deliberation coming we contained that beautiful good and stayed together," inferior guardant Trent Pierce said pursuing nan win.

Missouri led by arsenic overmuch arsenic 13 successful nan 2nd half, which was astatine nan 4:16 mark. It felt for illustration nan crippled was retired of scope for Auburn, moreover pinch clip still near connected nan clock.

Steven Pearl and his squad gave Missouri a sensation of its ain medicine down nan agelong of nan crippled by attacking nan rim and drafting fouls. They besides initiated a property to wholly propulsion nan gait of nan crippled retired of sync for Missouri. A fewer made free throws and turnovers later and nan crippled was erstwhile again close.

Eventually, Missouri was capable to get stops and break nan press. T.O. Barrett's property beak and half-court walk to Jayden Stone, which resulted successful an and-one to springiness Missouri a seven-point lead, was nan starting constituent of that.

"I thought Auburn did everything correct to muck up nan crippled astatine that point, erstwhile we started playing connected our toes and not our heels, putting unit connected our handbasket nary matter really acold we were away," Dennis Gates told nan media pursuing nan win. "We were capable to break nan property and execute and evidently get to nan line. Last game, I thought being capable to make free throws, you know, successful those times, costs us, because we were evidently missing them, but coming we were capable to adjacent a game, and that's nan benignant of assurance you need."

Gates and Missouri besides sewage nan champion of their elder forward, Mark Mitchell. He vanished nan crippled pinch 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists connected 7-for-13 shooting. Outside of his free-throw woes, Mitchell was imperative to Missouri's success, some arsenic a subordinate and a leader.

"He's our leader, and he knows what buttons to push pinch his teammates," Gates said. "He knows really to return attraction of his body. He knows really to get nan champion retired of nan coaching staff. He comes pinch suggestions and not responses each nan time."

From Auburn's perspective, it conscionable didn't person nan bodies and clip to afloat complete a comeback. The full-court unit Auburn applied precocious successful nan crippled worked to a tee, but it felt for illustration it wouldn't person been capable to execute nan unit astatine a precocious level for immoderate longer than it had.

With much clip to property Missouri, Pearl's squad could've forced a fewer much turnovers and scored disconnected of them to perchance return nan lead.

"I wish we had 2 much guys that we could propulsion successful location pinch immoderate size that would thief us," Pearl said. "Because here's nan deal. If we pressed, we would not person immoderate power to beryllium capable to execute offensively. And this squad is overmuch amended offensively than it is defensively."

Pearl's Tigers very astir executed an awesome comeback connected nan road. They conscionable didn't person nan clip to do so, aliases nan shot-making and strength earlier successful nan 2nd half to respond to an awesome Missouri run.

"It's really difficult to triumph connected nan roadworthy this league. Really hard," Pearl said. "We can't make it much difficult than it already is. And I thought coming we did that. Missouri had a batch to do pinch that, but there's immoderate things internally that we sewage to fix."