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 Why? Five of his players scored in double-figures, and the team
combined for 23 assists as the No. 24 Razorbacks (19-5, 8-3
Southeastern Conference) beat Auburn (11-13, 3-8) for the eighth
consecutive time.
"It was poetry in motion," Anderson said after forward Bobby Portis
scored 22 points and guard Michael Qualls added 19 to pace the
Razorbacks. "Ball movement and people movement. Bobby Portis is such
an advantage for us because he can go inside or outside, and that
opens things up for us and brings the defense out even more."
Arkansas made 35 of 65 shots (53.8 percent), including 11 of 23
attempts from beyond the 3-point arc.
"Arkansas, they did a great job of sharing the ball, and they played
well together," said first-year Auburn coach Bruce Pearl, whose team
lost for the sixth time in seven games. "They're better from
2(-point range) than they are from 3(-point range), but they were
terrific from 3 tonight. We didn't contest. We didn't defend."
The Razorbacks finished with their highest point total of the
season. Arkansas' 101 points were the second most allowed by the
Tigers in their arena's five-year history.
 "I don't care what building we're in," Pearl snapped. "We scored
87."
Though Portis, who added eight rebounds, paced the Razorbacks'
offense, Anderson was more than pleased with Qualls, whom the coach
said isn't 100 percent after sustaining a recent minor knee injury.
"Qualls did other things than shoot," Anderson said. "The shooting
came because he started doing other things on defense, rebounding
and trying to block shots."
Senior guard KT Harrell paced Auburn with 21 points. Auburn junior
power forward Cinmeon Bowers, who leads the SEC with 14
double-doubles, scored 10 points and grabbed a team-high eight
rebounds.
The Tigers trailed only 68-59 with 15 minutes remaining after Bowers
scored on back-to-back trips down the court. However, Arkansas
slowly put the game out of reach. Three-pointers from junior guards
Jabril Durham and Anthlon Bell, who scored 16 points, put the Hogs
up 84-66 with 9:56 left.
Auburn never challenged again.
Arkansas took a 58-47 lead into halftime. Qualls scored 16
first-half points, and the Razorbacks made 19 of 31 field-goal
attempts before the break (61.3 percent), including seven of 12
shots from 3-point range.
The Razorbacks held a 32-20 lead after forward Jacorey Williams
drained a 3-pointer. However, the Tigers twice cut the margin to six
with 3-pointers from Harrell and forward Alex Thompson. Harrell led
all scorers with 17 first-half points.
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Arkansas owned the final six minutes of the half, outscoring the
Tigers 17-12 in that span. The Razorbacks' largest lead before the
break, 54-40, came with 1:30 left after another Williams 3-pointer.
Overall, the teams combined for 53 fouls and four technicals in a
game both coaches described as "chippy."
"They wanted to win, and our guys wanted to win," Anderson said.
"The big thing is you want to play with composure."
Pearl added, "If they are going to play like that, then the
officials had no choice. They had to take control."
Auburn was playing its third game in six days, something Pearl noted
had an effect on his team.
"I thought we wore Auburn out," Anderson said. "It was a very
physical game. We took advantage of our size, but give them credit
-- they attacked us and we found a way to win on the road."
NOTES: The Tigers scored in triple figures once previously this
season, in a 100-92 win over Northwestern State on Dec. 28. ...
Although Auburn has a losing record, No. 24 Arkansas was the first
ranked opponent the Tigers played this season. ... Auburn G Tahj
Shamsid-Deen scored two early baskets but was helped off the court
and taken to the locker room five minutes into the game after
injuring his left shoulder. He did not play the rest of the game.
... On Saturday, Arkansas plays at Ole Miss, which beat the Hogs on
Jan. 17. Auburn visits Georgia on Saturday. ... Arkansas held its
previous five opponents to fewer than 65 points, and it led the SEC
in six statistical categories entering Tuesday's games.
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
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