According to Chris Moore, when Charles Barkley comes to watch you play, “it’s a huge motivator.”
On Tuesday, with Barkley in attendance, Auburn knocked off No. 12 Missouri 88 - 82 inside Auburn Arena. Sharife Cooper led Auburn with a team-high 28 points and seven assists in 28 minutes of playing time.
“That is the best win of the year so far against a nationally ranked team," said head coach Bruce Pearl. "A really, really good team in Missouri. A veteran team. A team we didn't beat last year."
While Cooper may have led Auburn in both points and assists, the freshman point guard was in foul trouble for most of the game. He finished the day with four fouls but picked up three late in the first half.
Auburn got off to a fast start and led 21-9 with 11:20 left in the first half following an 8-0 scoring run by Moore. Moore finished the contest with a season-high 11 points and was 4-for-4 from the field and 3-for-3 from beyond the arc.
All my life, it’s been about confidence,” Moore said. “When I got here, I was shy of confidence, but the coaching staff has been getting on me all year about shooting my shot. That’s in our DNA. Me making shots and coming through for the team was really big. It felt good out there to make a lot of big shots.”
Moore and the rest of Auburn’s bench were a key part of Auburn’s success against Missouri. The bench combined for 34 of Auburn’s 88 points in the win.
With 5:06 left in the first half, Cooper picked up his third foul and headed to the bench with Auburn up 32-24. He did not return to the court for the remainder of the first half, and by halftime, Auburn held a slim 39-35 lead.
Missouri opened up the second half on a 14-4 scoring run and led 45-41 with 17:07 left. Auburn called a timeout, and Cooper checked back in for Auburn.
In the second half, Cooper took over, scoring 21 points down the stretch. He may have only been 4-of-8 from the field but was 13-of-14 on free throws in the second half.
“That’s my favorite thing to do is close the game,” Cooper said. “Just making the right plays, making winning plays that affect the game tremendously – just by doing something little. That’s my favorite thing to do since I was a kid. My dad instilled that in me. We’re a young team, so just being able to transfer that to college, it’s a great experience.”
Auburn was able to tie the game up at 50-all, and from then on, Missouri and Auburn battled back-and-forth for the lead. Cooper’s jumper with 7:34 left gave Auburn a 64-62 lead, and Auburn never looked back.
Missouri got within five points following a dunk to make it a 76-71 game with 3:05 left, but Auburn’s free-throw shooting kept them out in front.
Auburn was 27-of-30 from the free-throw line in the second half and was 36-of-44 for the game. Auburn also finished the evening with 14 blocks, tying its season-high.
Auburn improves to 10-7 overall and 4-5 in the SEC with the win. Auburn will be back in action on the road against No. 2 Baylor on Saturday at 3 p.m. CST with the game airing on ESPN.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
Jake Weese, senior in journalism with a minor in history, is The Plainsman's sports editor.
