COLUMBIA, Mo. - Mizzou Men's Basketball (8-7, 1-1) utilized the free throw line and got a huge boost from its bench in a 76-61 victory over Auburn (7-7, 1-2) Saturday for its Southeastern Conference home opener at Mizzou Arena. Head coach Kim Anderson improved to 2-0 in SEC home openers (74-67 vs. LSU on Jan. 8, 2015) with the largest margin of victory against an SEC opponent during his tenure.

Freshman forward Kevin Puryear (Blue Springs, Mo.) led all Mizzou players in points and rebounds, notching his first double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. The freshman also went 5-6 from the free throw line. As a team, the Tigers were successful on 25-of-33 free throw attempts.

Three other Mizzou players scored in double digits. Freshman guard K.J. Walton (Indianapolis, Ind.) scored 10 points after shooting 4-of-5 from the line, while sophomore guard Tramaine Isabell (Seattle, Wash.) scored 12 points, sinking two three-pointers and converting 4-of-6 free throw attempts. Sophomore guard Namon Wright (Los Angeles, Calif.) scored 10 points and shot 7-of-10 from the charity stripe. Freshman guard Terrence Phillips (Orange County, Calif.) led the team in assists with four, while Walton snagged three steals, a season-high.

Contributions came from all over Mizzou's roster as all 11 players that saw the floor scored points. The Tigers' bench outscored Auburn, 40-5.

Mizzou used a 21-3 run in the first half to grab a 39-24 lead at half time. The 15-point lead was the largest halftime lead against any SEC opponent in the Anderson era. After scoring only 11 points in the first 10:37 of the game, the Tigers offense exploded with three-pointers. Sophomore forward D'Angelo Allen (Dallas, Texas) and sophomore forward Jakeenan Gant (Springfield, Ga.)  each connected from beyond the three-point line for the first time this season.

Allen provided a huge spark off of the bench in the first half, scoring five points, grabbing three rebounds, and posting a block in eight minutes of first-half action. He finished the night with seven points and four rebounds in 12 minutes.

Auburn was unable to cut the deficit to less than 12 points in the second half. Mizzou lead by as many as 26 points with just 4:36 remaining in the game. The Tigers converted 14-of-16 (87.5 percent) attempts from the free throw line during the second half to seal a 76-61 win.

Mizzou will next face Arkansas on Tuesday night at home in Mizzou Arena. Tipoff is scheduled 8 p.m. CT and will be televised on the SEC Network.