AUBURN | There will be no settling in period for Sharife Cooper but Saturday’s loss will provide the freshman an important learning experience.

Cooper led all scorers with 26 points in his debut, but had two turnovers and misfired on a couple of hurried 3-point attempts in the final 1:35 as Alabama hung on for a 94-90 win over Auburn.

“Late in the game I made some mistakes, I really put this game on me because there were a lot of things I did wrong in the closing seconds,” Copper said. “But, it’s the first game and we’ve got a lot to learn and I’m ready for this journey.”

Cooper, who missed the first 11 games of the season waiting for the NCAA to rule on his eligibility, added nine assists, the most by an Auburn player this season, four rebounds, three steals and five turnovers in 33 minutes. He shot 8 of 19 from the floor, 1 of 7 from beyond the arc and 9 of 10 from the free throw line.

His 26 points are the most in a freshman debut since Eddie Johnson also scored 26 in 1973.

“All the sudden, our ball screen offense becomes multi dimensional because he can split them,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “You've got to guard him. He's definitely, obviously, made us better offensively. That's an Alabama team you can't score on. They're very good defensively. And we did a good job offensively.”

The Tigers took a 90-89 lead on a 3-pointer by Allen Flanigan with 2:17 left, but their last five possessions of the game included three turnovers and two misses 3-pointers.

Auburn finished the game with 20 turnovers, the second-most of the season.

“We still turned the ball over way too much,” Pearl said. “We didn’t score enough off the offensive glass. We left a lot of points out there in the paint. We’ve got to do a better job finishing off the rim.”

Flanigan added 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists while freshman JT Thor had 15 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots — all career highs. His three steals matched his career high. Jamal Johnson and Devan Cambridge added 10 points apiece.

“Flanigan's a horse. I think he's a workhorse,” Pearl said. “A mean man. What a warrior. I think his father should be really proud of him, what effort in 35 minutes. Just played great.

“I thought JT Thor showed -- continues to show great, making great strides. Had four big blocks, and we all benefitted by having Sharife out there. It was great and was fun to see.”

Fellow freshman guard Justin Powell missed his second consecutive game with a concussion.

Auburn, which falls to 6-6 overall and 0-4 in the SEC, returns to action Wednesday night at Georgia. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network.