Notae, Arkansas turn aside Auburn 97-85 in SEC opener

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — JD Notae scored 19 of his 21 points in the second half and Arkansas placed five in double figures to remain undefeated with a 97-85 win at Auburn to open Southeastern Conference play on Wednesday night.

Notae came into halftime with just one shot and two points in eight minutes on the court. He became a force in the second half, scoring 19, pulling down three defensive rebounds, making four steals and blocking a shot.

Every time Auburn began to gain momentum, Notae seemed to have a hand in stopping it.

Desi Sills led the Razorbacks (9-0) with 23 points, making four 3-pointers, Connor Vanover added 17, Moses Moody 16 and Jalen Tate 12.

Jamal Johnson scored 21 points on 7-for-11 shooting to lead Auburn (6-3). Allen Flanigan tossed in 19 points with 10 rebounds, Devan Cambridge scored 15 and Jaylin Williams 13.

The Tigers were 4-0 at home this season and saw a five-game win streak snapped. Auburn held a 12-11 lead for 19 seconds early in the game and trailed by as many as 10 before turning the second half into a scrap.

Flanigan pulled Auburn into a 74-all tie with 7:30 remaining, but Vanover dunked on a second-chance basket to ignite a 10-0 run for Arkansas.

The Razorbacks are off to 8-0 and 9-0 starts in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1992-93 and 1993-94. The conference opener was played before 1,824 in the 9,121 seat Auburn Arena.

Arkansas hosts No. 12 Missouri on Saturday. Auburn is at Texas A&M on Saturday.

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