FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — In a high-scoring contest, the Arkansas men’s basketball team fell to Auburn 90-86 on Wednesday night in Bud Walton Arena. For the second time this season, both Jabril Durham and Moses Kingsley had double-doubles in the same game – Durham with 12 points and 10 assists, and Kingsley with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Anthlon Bell scored 21 points, including 11 in the first 3:43 of the game, for his eighth game of 20-plus points this season. Dusty Hannahs got back on track with 18 points, shooting 4-for-9 from beyond the arc. The Tigers were deadly from three-point range, however, shooting 15-of-23 for the game, outpacing the Razorbacks’ 9-of-25 mark from deep.
Early on, it was clear that Arkansas and Auburn were in for a track meet. It was 13-13 at the under-16 timeout, then the Tigers led 27-26 with just under 10 minutes left in the first half. Bell was hot early, and led the team with 14 points in the first frame, as the teams went into the locker room tied 46-46.
The Razorbacks proceeded to go on a 15-6 run in the first six minutes of the second half to get out to a 61-52 lead, their biggest of the game. But back came Auburn with hot shooting – 6-for-8 from behind the arc in the second half, to be exact – as the visitors took an 80-79 lead with 2:33 left and never gave it up.
“I thought our guys would come out tonight and play with a sense of urgency," head coach Mike Anderson said. "I think we played hard, I just don’t think we played smart. When this team has faced adversity, they have come back and I think we have a good chance to show what we are made of Saturday.” — Head coach Mike Anderson
In all, the game featured nine dunks, 24 three-pointers, 37 assists and 178 points, which is the second-most of any Arkansas game this season. With the loss, the Razorbacks fell to 12-14 on the season, with a 5-8 record in SEC play.
