Bruce Pearl Matches Program Record as Auburn Routs Mizzou

The Auburn Tigers open SEC play with a convincing win over Mizzou as Bruce Pearl ties the program's mark for most wins by an Auburn head coach.

Bruce Pearl tied the Auburn Tigers record for most wins by a head coach in the team's win over Mizzou. / John Reed-Imagn Images

AUBURN, Ala. – For No. 2 Auburn, 2025 began the way 2024 ended, with Johni Broome leading the Tigers to a double-digit victory, one that tied Bruce Pearl for the most wins in program history.

“Nobody enjoys winning more than me, nobody hates losing more than me, and when I win I get on to the next one,” said Pearl, who tied Joel Eaves (1949-63) with win No. 213 on the Plains. “I will celebrate whatever we accomplish this year this summer. I’m on to Texas and on to the next one. It’s great.”

One of five Tigers in double figures, Broome scored 24 points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked four shots to lead Auburn to an 84-68 win over Missouri Saturday in the SEC opener at sold-out Neville Arena.

“Being aggressive,” said Broome, who reached the 20-point mark for the ninth time in Auburn’s 14 games. “I wanted to set the tone a little bit. My teammates and coaches ran plays to get me the ball. We have a special team. That’s a good way to start it off but we’re not satisfied.”

Chaney Johnson scored 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds, Chad Baker-Mazara scored 13 and went 5-for-5 from the free-throw line to extend his streak to 44.

Denver Jones and Tahaad Pettiford added 10 points apiece, with Jones dishing a career-high seven assists.

Leading by 12 points at the half, Auburn opened the second half with a 12-1 run that featured Broome’s steal and layup and 3-pointers from Baker-Mazara and Jones that forced a Missouri timeout with 17:13 to play with Auburn ahead 57-34.

Pettiford’s second chance 3-pointer gave Auburn a 26-point lead before Missouri got as close as 14 down the stretch before walk-on Presley Patterson scored the game’s final points.

“Auburn is a great basketball team, I believe one of the top teams in the country,” Missouri coach Dennis Gates said. “You can tell the chip they have on their shoulders. I have the utmost respect for Bruce Pearl. He had his team ready to play in the SEC opener.”

Broome got off to a fast start, scoring seven of Auburn’s first nine points before the first media timeout.

“Johni Broome is a load down there and he’s so unselfish,” Pearl said.

When Missouri adjusted by double-teaming Broome, Johni adjusted by firing a one-handed, crosscourt pass to Baker-Mazara, who made his third 4-point play in the past two games to give Auburn a 17-11 lead.

“We work on it all the time in practice,” Broome said. “I saw him, and then I got trapped. I trusted him, I threw it and he made a bucket.”

Missouri tried a zone defense for two possessions, but Auburn made the visiting Tigers pay with 3-pointers from Jahki Howard and Miles Kelly.

Seven Tigers made 3-pointers in the first half to help Auburn take a 45-33 lead at intermission.

Auburn shot 47.6 percent from 3-point range, making 10 of 21 attempts.

“We have some great shooters on the team,” Johnson said. “We share the ball and we trust each other. Ball movement, people getting open shots, we’re going to hit.”

Auburn (13-1, 1-0) travels for its next two games beginning with its first conference visit to Texas to take on the Longhorns Tuesday at 8 p.m. CT on ESPN2 and the Auburn Sports Network.

“It’s a shorter prep and we’ll get ourselves ready to go,” Pearl said. “I think we can play better on the road. We have to. Texas is really talented, one of the most talented teams in our league.”

POSTGAME NOTES

• With the win, Auburn improved to 13-1 on the season. It marked the eighth time in program history the Tigers have won at least 13 of their first 14 games in a season including the fourth time in the last eight seasons.

• Auburn has now won seven-straight games against SEC opponents after winning its last six games against SEC opponents last season – three to end the regular season and three to claim the SEC Tournament title before opening SEC play with an 84-68 win over Missouri on Saturday.

• Auburn now leads 9-6 in the all-time series with Missouri having won the last five-straight meetings. The Tigers lead 5-1 in Auburn, including 5-0 under Pearl, with all six games be played at Neville Arena.

• The Tigers saw 9,121 fans pack Neville Arena for the 62nd-consecutive sellout at the venue.

• The win marked Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl’s 213th victory in his 11 seasons on the Plains, which tied him with Joel Eaves, who won 213 games leading the Tigers for 14 seasons from 1949-50 through 1962-63, for the most career coaching wins in program history.

• Auburn held Missouri to a season-low 68 points as Mizzou entered the game as one of only four teams in the country to score at least 75 points in every game this season.

• For the 12th-straight game, AU went with the starting lineup of Denver Jones, Miles Kelly, Chad Baker-Mazara, Johni Broome and Dylan Cardwell. Jones, Baker-Mazara, Broome and Cardwell have started all 14 games this season.

• The Missouri game was the 10th time Auburn has held a double-digit halftime lead this season including the sixth-straight game. The Tigers led Missouri, 45-33, at halftime.

• Auburn shot 57.1 percent from the floor and 10-of-21 from 3-point range, matching the most 3-point field goals Missouri has allowed this season. It was the seventh time the Tigers have shot at least 50 percent this season and the eighth time they have made double-digit 3-pointers.

• Johni Broome led five Auburn players in double figures with a game-high 24 points to go with seven rebounds, four blocks, two assists and one steal. It was Broome’s ninth 20-point game of the season. He passed Jaylin Williams to move into 21st on Auburn’s career scoring list and became the 21st player in Auburn history to score 1,300 career points, finishing the day with 1,303 points in his Auburn career. Broome tallied 13 points in the first half, the seventh time this season he has scored in double figures before halftime.

• Chad Baker-Mazara and Chaney Johnson scored 13 points apiece. Baker-Mazara finished 3-of-4 from the floor, including 2-of-3 from long range. He was a perfect 5-of-5 from the foul line to up his school record to 44-straight made free throws. He added three rebounds, three steals and two assists. It was also his 11th game in double figures this season and the 43rd of his career

• Johnson finished the game 5-of-7 on field goals, including making his only 3-point attempt, and 2-of-2 from the foul line. He grabbed seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and one block. Johnson surpassed the 1,500-point mark in his career, finishing the day with 1,509 points. It was his seventh game in double figures this season and his third career SEC game in double figures.

• Denver Jones and Tahaad Pettiford each scored 10 points in the win. Jones contributed seven assists, one rebound and only two turnovers to go with 3-of-7 shooting overall, including a pair of 3-pointers, and 2-of-2 from the foul line. It was Jones’ 11th game in double figures this season and the 72nd of his career.

• Pettiford scored in double figures for the seventh time in his first 14 career games for the Tigers as he made a pair of 3-pointers to go with two assists and one steal.

• Chris Moore’s 129th career game ties him with Scott Pohlman and Frank Ford for sixth in program history.

• Miles Kelly matched his season high with five rebounds which he also brought down against Richmond on Dec. 8.