AUBURN, Ala. – Sharife Cooper made his Auburn debut Saturday and looked like the best player on the court for most of the game. He was a 3 away from tying the score in the final minute, but he had two attempts go awry and the Tigers lost, 94-90, to Alabama.
Those 3-pointers were about the only thing that didn't go Cooper's way as the freshman finished with a game-high 26 points and dished out a team-best nine assists.
"You could tell how hard Sharife has worked to stay right and stay ready and what a dynamic player he is," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. "We obviously have been working to try and build the program around him the last couple years knowing he would be coming in. It's great to have him back."
After sitting out the first 11 games of the season and missing over two months of practice, Cooper was deemed eligible to play by the NCAA prior to tip-off. The rust showed early as his first basket didn't come until the 6:23 mark in the first half, but once he got going, Auburn looked like a different team.
Late in the first half, Cooper found Dylan Cardwell for a two-hand slam. He then kicked it over to Devan Cambridge for a corner 3, giving the Tigers their first lead of the game. And on the final play of the half, he hooked up with Cambridge again – splitting two defenders and tossing an alley-oop to Cambridge who threw it down.
"The first couple minutes, I knew I was going to be a little rusty," Cooper said. "I haven't played in a long time, so I didn't want to force anything. I knew once I settled down, things would get to flowing. The offense would look better."
Gallery: (1-9-2021) Alabama 94, Auburn 90
As Cooper searched to find his rhythm early, sophomore Allen Flanigan picked Auburn up with 11 of his 19 points coming in the first half. There was a sequence where Flanigan knocked down back-to-back 3s and scored eight straight points for the Tigers to cut the Alabama lead to two (14-12).
With 19 points, Flanigan was one off his career high. It was his ninth game this season in double figures. He also finished second on the team in both rebounds (8) and assists (4).
"Allen Flanigan's a workhorse," Pearl said. "What a warrior. I think his father should be really proud of him. What effort. He played 35 minutes. He just played great."
Auburn trailed 37-36 at the intermission, but Cooper started to take over offensively in the second half. He knocked down a midrange jumper. He converted a three-point play. He threw two alley-oops to freshman JT Thor, including one where Thor grabbed it with his left hand and dunked it one-handed.
"It was just really fun (having Cooper back)," Thor said. "The alley-oops were fun especially. I didn't think I was going to catch the first one, but it went in somehow. I was just really excited for Sharife and for the team."
Thor posted a career-high 15 points, including 12 in the second half. He was 4 of 7 from the field and 6 of 7 from the free throw line. He also led the team with nine rebounds.
Alabama jumped back up by eight points with about six minutes left, but the Tigers responded with a 10-0 run that included buckets from Cambridge, Thor and Jaylin Williams and was capped with a steal and a fast-break dunk from Cooper to put Auburn ahead.
Cambridge and junior Jamal Johnson each finished with 10 points, giving the Tigers five players in double figures for the third time this season.
The Crimson Tide secured the victory late, scoring the game's final five points.
Even with Cooper back in the lineup, Auburn was not at full strength. Fellow freshman Justin Powell missed his second straight game with a head injury.
Next up for the Tigers is a trip to Georgia on Wednesday.
