No. 2 Baylor heats up in second half, holds off Auburn to remain undefeated

No. 2 Baylor took a break from Big 12 play to host Auburn in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge Saturday at Ferrell Center.

Here are three takeaways from the Bears’ 84-72 win:

Tigers test the Bears

Saturday marked the second-ever matchup between the two teams.

Since five-star freshman point guard Sharife Cooper became eligible, Auburn has won four of its last six, including an 88-82 upset of No. 12 Missouri. Cooper was averaging 22.3 points per game heading into Saturday.

While Baylor led for more than 15 minutes in the first half, the Tigers were never too far behind and made the Bears work for their slight five-point lead heading into halftime.

Baylor heats up in the second half

Auburn seemed to shake Baylor’s confidence early on, forcing the Bears to make frenzied plays in the first half. The Tigers used their size and strength to intimidate, which led Baylor to rely heavily on hitting shots from behind the arc.

But behind a dynamic second-half performance by Matthew Mayer and Flo Thamba’s career-high 11 rebounds, Baylor upped its intensity and built its lead up to 21 points.

Familiar faces

Cooper, the younger brother of former Baylor women’s basketball star Te’a Cooper, isn’t the only one who shares a connection between the two teams. Mitchell spent his freshman season playing at Auburn before transferring to Baylor in 2018.

After racking up 31 points in his last outing, Mitchell followed up on his career-high night with 13 points, while Adam Flagler led the Bears’ scoring effort with 19 and added a second-best eight rebounds.

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