Missouri fell behind on a second-chance layup with 9:14 left in the first quarter and never caught up as the Auburn Tigers led wire-to-wire in a 75-60 game at Auburn on Sunday.
It was the home Tigers’ first SEC win this season as they controlled the battle of winless conference teams.
Auburn took the lead with the layup from Syriah Daniels, starting an 8-2 run to open the game where a Laniah Randle layup was the lone Missouri shot.
Randle ended with 11 points and five rebounds.
A Grace Slaughter 3, the first points of her team-high 14 points - marking her 10th game as the team leader - brought Missouri within 8-5, then an Averi Kroenke 3 brought Missouri within 10-8 with 3:20 left in the first quarter.
Another Slaughter 3 brought Missouri within 12-11, but Auburn ended the first quarter on a 6-0 run to take an 18-11 advantage into the second quarter.
Randle hit a second-chance layup, then Nyah Wilson did the same and Slaughter hit another 3 to cut the deficit to 20-18 with 8:13 left before halftime.
But Auburn responded once again as Missouri’s offense hit a wall.
The home Tigers scored 15 of the next 17 points to create a 35-20 lead with 1:03 left before the break, then took a 36-23 advantage into halftime.
Missouri had its best quarter in the third, the lone quarter it outscored the home Tigers.
After Auburn extended to a 42-23 lead out of the break, an Abbey Schreacke 3 started a 12-0 Missouri run.
Ashton Judd hit a 3, Hannah Linthacum used a Screacke assist for a transition layup then hit a free throw, Judd hit a free throw and Randle grabbed her own rebound for a putback, cutting the Missouri deficit to 42-35 with 2:55 left in the third.
But once again, Auburn responded to the run and built out a 50-38 lead going to the fourth quarter.
The Black & Gold got off to a hot start in the fourth quarter as a De’Myla Brown transition layup and free throw, a Judd 3 and a Slaughter layup got Missouri back within 53-46, but once again, Auburn responded.
The home Tigers extended back to a 14-point lead with 4:12 left to play and maintained a double-digit advantage the rest of the way.
Missouri shot 21-of-44 (38.2 percent) from the field, 9-of-22 (40.9 percent) from 3 and 9-of-13 (69.2 percent) at the free-throw line.
Auburn hit 23-of-56 (41.1 percent) overall, 5-of-20 (25.0 percent) from deep and 24-of-31 (77.4 percent) from the line.
Missouri fouled Auburn 22 times - Auburn committed 15 fouls - while committing 22 turnovers to Auburn’s 15.
Auburn led the battle for points off turnovers 27-19.
Judd scored 13 points and had a team-high six rebounds and four assists for Missouri.
Four Auburn players scored in double figures.
Audia Young, the daughter of Missouri basketball assistant coach Charleton Young, had five points and an assist for Auburn, while St. Louis native Mar'shaun Bostic scored three points, brought down three rebounds and dished out two assists.
Missouri (11-10, 0-6), which has now dropped 18 consecutive SEC games, will have more than a week off as it looks to end that streak when it hosts Mississippi State at 7 p.m. on Jan. 27.
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