COLUMBIA, Mo. – As Dylan Cardwell lined up a 3-pointer in the final minute Tuesday night, the only thing in doubt was whether No. 13 Auburn would reach 100 points. Cardwell buried the triple, and the Tigers hit 100 in a 101-74 win at Missouri.
"If Dylan starts to hit 3s, it's a good night," teammate Jaylin Williams said.
Cardwell's 3-pointer gave him 12 points for the night, matching his career high, and he finished as one of five Auburn players in double figures in what was a balanced attack offensively.
Missouri kept it close in the first half, trailing 44-39 at the intermission, but Auburn proved to be too much in the second half and outscored the home team 57-35 over the final 20 minutes. It was the most points Auburn has scored in a half this season.
"I thought that our defense turned up in the second half," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. "I thought we played more unselfishly offensively in the second half. We only had six assists in the first half and finished with 16. Great balance. Almost seven guys in double figures. We play our best when everybody contributes. That was really positive."
Johni Broome scored the first basket in each half for Auburn and finished with a team-high 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field. It was his 21st straight game in double figures. He also led the team with eight rebounds and three blocks.
Williams and Chad Baker-Mazara both scored 15 points. Baker-Mazara had the hot hand in the first half with 10 points and a pair of 3-pointers while Williams took over in the second half where he scored 11 of his 15 points and didn't miss a shot from the field (4-of-4). He's now scored 10 or more points in each of his last three games since missing a game due to injury. He has 19 games in double figures on the season.
"We knew, especially in the second half, we were going to be the team that was more excited," Williams said. "We struggled in the first half, so we knew we had to step up."
"We had the advantage on the inside with Jaylin Williams and Johni Broome and Dylan Cardwell and Chaney Johnson," added Pearl. "We had three front-line players in double figures. I can't remember in my coaching career having four guys in double figures. But we had the advantage on the front line. We obviously took advantage."
Auburn had its way inside, outrebounding Missouri 41-28 and scoring 48 points in the paint to just 22 from Missouri. Broome, Baker-Mazara, Cardwell and Johnson all had six or more boards, and as a team, they pulled down 14 offensive rebounds, which led to 22 second-chance points.
Auburn's guard play was strong as well. Denver Jones made it five players in double figures with 10 points while point guards Aden Holloway and Tre Donaldson each had nine points. The trio combined to dish out 11 assists while committing only one turnover.
The freshman Holloway had a team-high five assists with no turnovers.
"It was great to see Aden Holloway play with great confidence," Pearl said. "Five assists, no turnovers. He shot the ball really well. That's one of the better games Aden has played on the road. I'm really happy for the way he's playing well right now."
With the win, Auburn finished with a winning record (5-4) on the road in SEC games for the third time in the last seven seasons – a feat only Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee have accomplished over that same period.
"Neville Arena deserves a lot of credit," he said. "The Jungle deserves a lot of credit for having been a great home-court advantage, maybe the best in college basketball. But then sometimes what comes along with that is, 'We can't win away from Neville Arena.' That has just not been the case. We have a winning record on the road, and we did again this year."
Auburn (23-7, 12-5) will return home to Neville Arena on Saturday for the regular-season finale against Georgia. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. CT.
MISSOURI POSTGAME NOTES
» With the win, Auburn now leads 82-71 in the all-time series with Mississippi State. The Tigers have won seven of the last eight in the series. They lead 50-24 in games played on The Plains and have won four straight over the Bulldogs at Neville Arena, where the Tigers hold a 7-1 advantage in the series. The two teams split the regular-season series after MSU's 64-58 victory on Jan. 27 in Starkville.
» With the win, Auburn leads Missouri 8-6 all-time, including wins in four straight games and seven of the last eight. Of those seven wins, five have been by at least 18 points. The series is tied 4-4 at Missouri, but Auburn has won its last three contests in Columbia.
» Bruce Pearl is 8-5 against Missouri in his head coaching career, including 8-4 coaching at Auburn. Pearl is 3-0 at home, all at Neville Arena, 4-4 on the road (4-3 coaching Auburn) and 1-1 in the SEC Tournament, both while coaching Auburn.
» Bruce Pearl is 2-0 against second-year Missouri head coach Dennis Gates. Pearl led Auburn to an 89-56 victory over Missouri in Neville Arena last season in the only previous meeting between the two head coaches.
» With the win, Auburn has reached 23 wins in a season for the eighth time in program history and five times in the last seven seasons. The win is the Tigers' 12th SEC victory of the season, marking the fourth time in the last seven seasons and the 12th time in program history they've won 12 SEC games in a season. Auburn's four seasons with at least 12 SEC wins since the 2017-18 season are tied with Kentucky and Tennessee for the most in the league over that period.
» The win secures a winning road record in SEC play for the third time in the last seven seasons for Auburn. The Tigers join Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee as the only teams in the SEC who have at least three seasons with a winning road record in league play over that period.
» Auburn's 101-74 victory at Missouri is the Tigers' 13th win by at least 20 points this season, which is the most in the SEC. The Tigers have won six SEC games by 20-plus points, including three on the road (83-51 at Arkansas and 97-76 at Georgia). The 13 20-point wins are just one off the school record (14) set during the 1998-99 season. All 23 of Auburn's wins this season have been by double digits, which leads the country and is the second-most in program history, behind only the 1998-99 Tigers, which won 26 games by 10 or more points.
» Auburn went over the 100-point mark for the fourth time this season, including the second time in SEC play.
» Auburn set a season high for points in a half by scoring 57 points in the second half on 76.0 percent shooting (19-of-25) from the floor, 66.7 percent from long range (6-of-9) and 81.3 percent (13-of-16) from the free-throw line. The Tigers' previous high was 56 points in the second half at Ole Miss. It is the 11th time Auburn has scored 50 points in a half this season, including the seventh time in SEC play.
» Auburn shot 52.3 percent from the floor for the game. It is the ninth time the Tigers have shot at least 50 percent in a game this season, including the sixth in SEC play. Auburn has shot at least 50 percent in four of the last six games, including the last two. It is the first time the Tigers, who shot 50.0 percent (28-of-56) against Mississippi State on Saturday, have shot at least 50 percent in consecutive SEC games since shooting 51.8 percent (29-of-58) at South Carolina and 53.6 percent against Florida in 2022.
» Auburn matched its SEC season high with 48 points in the paint, which the Tigers previously set in the SEC opener at Arkansas on Jan. 6. It is the 12th time in the last 26 games Auburn has scored at least 40 paint points. The Tigers have outscored their opponent in the paint in 26 of 30 games this season.
» Auburn outscored Missouri 35-19 in bench points. The Tigers have outscored their opponent in bench points in all but one game this season, including the last 23 contests.
» Auburn blocked eight shots on the night, making it the 20th game in the last 22 contests the Tigers have blocked at least five shots. Auburn has blocked 180 shots on the season, which is tied with the 2017-18 squad for the third-most in program history.
» Auburn placed five players in double figures, led by Johni Broome's 17 points on 7-of-14 field goals. Broome added eight rebounds, three blocks, and two assists in the win. It is his 21st straight game in double figures. He now has 147 blocks in his two-year Auburn career, passing Charles Barkley for seventh all-time at Auburn.
» Chad Baker-Mazara and Jaylin Williams each scored 15 points. Baker-Mazara was 4-of-9 from the floor, 3-of-5 from 3-point range and 4-of-4 from the foul line, and he added seven rebounds, one block and one steal in the victory. He has scored in double figures in 12 of Auburn's 17 SEC games this season, including nine of the last 10.
» Williams was 5-of-7 from the floor and 5-of-5 from the foul line. He pulled down two rebounds and blocked two shots in the win. It is his 19th game in double figures on the season and the 61st of his career.
» Dylan Cardwell had a perfect night from the floor, making all five of his shot attempts – including his third career 3-pointer and second of the season – for a career-high-tying 12 points to go with six rebounds and one block. It is Cardwell's sixth career game in double figures, including four this season.
» Denver Jones chipped in with 10 points on 3-of-5 field goals and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line to go with a season-high-tying four assists, one rebound and one steal. It is Jones' seventh game in double figures in the last 10 contests.
