AUBURN, Ala. — In an impressive display, Johni Broome contributed 24 points, seven rebounds, and four blocks, leading No. 2 Auburn to an 84-68 victory against Missouri as they kicked off their Southeastern Conference play on Saturday.

Auburn, now 13-1 overall and 1-0 in the conference, showcased their shooting prowess by hitting 10 of 21 from beyond the arc, with seven players successfully sinking at least one three-pointer.

In addition to Broome’s standout performance, Chaney Johnson and Chad Baker-Mazara each added 13 points to the scoreboard, while Denver Jones contributed with 10 points and dished out seven assists.

For Missouri, which fell to 11-3 and 0-1 in SEC action, Marques Warrick was the leading scorer with 19 points, followed by Marcus Allen, who scored nine.

Key observations from the game reveal that Missouri, under coach Dennis Gates, has been effective in forcing turnovers this season; however, they struggled to maintain that strategy against Auburn’s solid ball-handling throughout the matchup.

Coach Bruce Pearl has built a formidable squad this year, demonstrating significant balance and depth, as evidenced by the fact that five Tigers reached double figures in scoring during this game.

A pivotal moment came when Broome hit a three-pointer at the 15:56 mark of the first half, which ignited a dominant 23-8 run for Auburn, allowing them to command control for the remainder of the game.

A noteworthy statistic is that with this victory, Pearl secured his place in Auburn’s history by tying Joel Eaves for the most career wins in the program’s history at 213.

Looking ahead, Auburn is set to travel to Texas on Tuesday night for their first SEC clash against the Longhorns, while Missouri will host LSU that same evening.