Smith, Pinson lead Missouri to 85-73 win over No. 11 Auburn

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Guards Dru Smith and Xavier Pinson each scored 28 points and Missouri beat No. 11 Auburn 85-73 on Saturday night.

Smith and Pinson repeatedly drove into the lane and scored for Missouri (12-13, 4-8 Southeastern Conference). Kobe Brown added 10 points and nine rebounds.

Austin Wiley led Auburn (22-3, 9-3) with 22 points and 10 rebounds, J’Von McCormick added 21 points and Samir Doughty scored 16. Auburn made just 1 of 17 3-point attempts.

Smith and Pinson combined to score 33 points on 12-of-15 shooting in the first half. Pinson freed himself with a crossover dribble and sank a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer, giving Missouri a 45-32 lead.

Missouri’s foul trouble mounted early in the second half, with Pinson and Mitchell Smith each picking up their fourth in the first eight minutes.

Momentum swung back to Missouri when Auburn’s Devan Cambridge was ejected with 10:01 remaining. He was called for Flagrant 1 and 2 fouls on the same play. Cambridge pulled Missouri’s Javon Pickett down and then stepped on his leg while he was sitting on the court. Pickett and Dru Smith combined to make 3 of the 4 free throws. Missouri got possession of the ball, and Torrence Watson hit a 3-pointer. The total damage from the play was six points, giving Missouri a 62-46 lead.

Two minutes later, Auburn coach Bruce Pearl was hit with a technical and had to be restrained by assistants. He was angered when McCormick was called for a foul while trying to get around a screen. Auburn couldn’t get the deficit below 10 points the rest of the way.

BIG PICTURE

Missouri: The Tigers are showing signs of a late-season surge. After beating Arkansas in overtime on Feb. 8, they led 25th-ranked LSU on the road for most of the game Tuesday before losing 82-78. The victory over Auburn was Missouri’s first win over a ranked team in five tries this season.

Auburn: Freshman star Isaac Okoro, who injured his hamstring Wednesday against Alabama, didn’t make the trip to Missouri. Okoro averages 13.1 points and 4.8 rebounds. He was replaced in the starting lineup by fellow freshman Allen Flanigan, who finished with five points and six rebounds.

UP NEXT

Missouri: Host Mississippi on Tuesday.

Auburn: At Georgia on Wednesday.