Michael Qualls finished with 19 points - including 16 in the first half, when he went 5-of-5 from the field and 3-of-3 from 3-point range — for Arkansas (19-5, 8-3 SEC). Anthlon Bell chipped in with 16 points off the bench, and Rashad Madden added 12 points and eight assists for the Razorbacks, who tied their season high with 11 3-pointers.
KT Harrell and K.C. Ross-Miller led Auburn (11-13, 3-8) with 21 points apiece, with Ross-Miller's coming in a reserve role. Malcolm Canada added 11 points and five rebounds for the Tigers, who shot 31-of-40 from the free-throw line.
Qualls came out firing at the start, scoring eight of the Razorbacks' first 10 points as they grabbed the lead on Qualls' first 3-pointer less than two minutes into the game and never gave it up. Auburn had its offense rolling, scoring a season high for a first half, but Arkansas was red-hot, pushing the lead to as much as 14 in the closing minutes before settling for an 11-point halftime advantage.
The Tigers tried to get something going early in the second, pulling within nine six different times in the first five minutes after the break, but every time, Arkansas responded with a hoop, then went on a 10-2 run to up the advantage to 17 with just over 13 minutes to go. It was back to 14 on Ross-Miller's 3-pointer with less than eight to play, but the Tigers went more than four minutes without a field goal and Arkansas went on a 9-2 run to take a 21-point advantage.
GAME NOTEBOOK: The Razorbacks shot 61.3 percent from the field in the first half, including 7-of-12 from 3-point range after not hitting more than six in a game in their last six outings. … Antoine Mason, Auburn's second-leading scorer who came in averaging 15.2 points, finished 1-of-10 from the field and had seven points. … The two teams were called for 53 fouls, with Arkansas having all five starters plus three bench players commit at least two in the first half.
Arkansas | Auburn | |
Bobby Portis 22 | Scoring | KT Harrell 21 |
Rashad Madden 8 | Assists | Cinmeon Bowers 4 |
Bobby Portis 8 | Rebounds | Cinmeon Bowers 8 |
Anthlon Bell 4 | Free Throws Made | KT Harrell 9 |
Rashad Madden 2 | Steals | Malcolm Canada 2 |
Alandise Harris 2 | Blocks | Cinmeon Bowers 1 |