Walking back on defense after having just thrown the ball directly out of bounds, Missouri freshman forward Jontay Porter peered up at the student section as if it were going to provide answers.
It wasn’t.
No. 19 Auburn (18-2, 6-1 SEC) took it to the black-and-gold Tigers (13-7, 3-4) at Mizzou Arena, winning 91-73. For the first time in the 2017-18 season, Missouri has lost back-to-back games.
After trailing 31-26 at halftime, Missouri senior forward Jordan Barnett — who finished with 19 points — ignited an 8-0 run with 15 minutes, 42 seconds remaining. Not only did he assist on a bucket made by junior forward Kevin Puryear, who scored 10 points, but he also drilled a 3-pointer on the next possession.
Then, senior guard Kassius Robertson, who finished with a team-high 21 points, knocked down another from the perimeter, cutting Auburn's lead to 49-48.
The orange-and-blue Tigers called a timeout in the minutes that followed and took complete control.
Auburn sophomore guard Jared Harper, who knocked down five 3-pointers and finished with 17 points, sparked a 15-0 run. Auburn ran away with the game from there.
The first half could be defined by one possession. With 3:30 remaining before the intermission, Barnett lobbed the ball inbounds. The pass flew over Robertson's head, and Harper corralled it. Missouri junior guard Cullen VanLeer chased Harper down and forced a missed shot. Upon receiving the rebound, VanLeer shuffled his feet and was called for a travel.
Simply put: Both teams struggled from the get-go. It was an especially rough night for Porter, who scored five points and committed three turnovers, and freshman forward Jeremiah Tilmon. The East St. Louis product, plagued by foul trouble all night, went scoreless, grabbed one rebound and committed three turnovers and four fouls in seven minutes of play.
Ultimately, Auburn found its rhythm and was too much.
Next up for Missouri is a 7:30 p.m. matchup Saturday at Mississippi State (14-6, 2-5).
Supervising editors are Brooks Holton and Pete Bland.