JD Notae recorded 28 points, four blocked shots and three steals and Arkansas defeated a No. 1 team for the second time in program history with an 80-76 overtime victory over top-ranked Auburn on Tuesday at Fayetteville, Ark.
Au’Diese Toney contributed 14 points and 10 rebounds and Jaylin Williams added 13 points and 11 boards as Arkansas (19-5, 8-3 Southeastern Conference) won its ninth consecutive contest. Davonte Davis had 10 points and five steals as the Razorbacks ended Auburn’s 19-game winning streak.
Jabari Smith registered 20 points and nine rebounds and Wendell Green Jr. scored 19 points for the Tigers (22-2, 10-1). Auburn sophomore Walker Kessler collected a career-high 19 rebounds to go along with 16 points and seven blocked shots before fouling out with 1:03 left in overtime.
Arkansas improves to 2-11 all-time against top-ranked clubs. The lone previous win came on Feb. 12, 1984, when the Razorbacks edged Michael Jordan-led North Carolina 65-64 at Pine Bluff, Ark.
Williams made two free throws to give the Razorbacks a 71-70 lead with 1:52 left in overtime, and Notae sank two foul shots 32 seconds later. Kessler fouled out while battling for a rebound, and Williams capitalized by making two more free throws for a five-point lead.
Smith connected on two 3-pointers in a 10-second span to bring Auburn within 78-76 with 18.2 seconds remaining.
Toney and Notae each split two free throws down the stretch as the Razorbacks held on.
Arkansas shot just 34.3 percent from the field, including 8 of 27 (29.6 percent) from 3-point range.
Auburn made 37.5 percent of its shots and was just 8 of 32 (25 percent) from behind the arc. The Tigers held a 60-42 rebounding edge but were plagued by 19 turnovers.
In regulation, Green’s short jumper tied the score at 59 with 3:41 left. Green followed with a layup and a 3-pointer to give the Tigers a five-point lead with 2:40 remaining.
The Razorbacks tallied the next five points — all on free throws — to knot the score at 64 with 54.4 seconds left.
Green scored on a driving hoop to give Auburn a two-point lead with 41.9 seconds remaining before the Razorbacks tied it on an inside hoop by Williams with 22.4 seconds left.
Arkansas led by as many as 12 in the first half and held a 28-25 advantage at the break.
–Field Level Media
