Cooper lifts Auburn to 88-82 win over No. 12 Missouri

(AP) — Sharife Cooper had 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists to lead Auburn to an 88-82 win over No. 12 Missouri.

Cooper, a freshman point guard who missed Auburn’s first 11 contests this season, had his fourth 20-point outing in six career games. Bruce Pearl’s young Tigers, which also got 23 combined points from freshmen forwards JT Thor and Chris Moore, are now 4-2 since Cooper was ruled eligible by the NCAA.

Auburn (10-7, 4-5 Southeastern Conference) raced out to a 14-point lead early, thanks in large part to some tenacious defense and rebounding. Missouri (10-3, 4-3 Southeastern Conference) was led by senior stars Jeremiah Tilmon and Dru Smith, who scored 42 of the team’s 82 points.