After a rough start to SEC play, Auburn got back on track by upsetting Arkansas at home.
After a rough start to SEC play that included a heartbreaking overtime loss against No. 23 Georgia on the road and a controversial loss to Texas A&M at home, the Auburn Tigers managed to find the win column for the first time in conference play.
Auburn (10-6, 1-2 SEC) hosted the No. 15 Arkansas Razorbacks (12-4, 2-1 SEC) at Neville Arena on Saturday, Jan. 10 and came away with a convincing 95-73 win.
The first seven minutes of the first half were tightly contested, but Auburn began to pull away after that point. By the time the final buzzer of the first half sounded and the teams headed into the locker room for halftime, the Tigers were on the right side of a 49-34 lead.
The second half was more of the same. Auburn continued to build on its lead and convinced the SEC that they still have the potential to be a formidable opponent in league play this season.
Keyshawn Hall led the way for Auburn on the scoreboard, finishing the game with 30 points. KeyShawn Murphy dominated the glass, ending the game with 10 rebounds to lead the Tigers in that category. Tahaad Pettiford led the way for Auburn in assists with seven, Murphy added five.
Auburn had one of its best shooting performances of the season as well, contributing to its ability to get the job done comfortably, although there is still work for it to do at the free-throw line.
When it was all said and done, the Tigers shot 34-of-60, 57%, from the field, 10-of-22, 45%, from 3-point range and 17-of-24, 71%, from the charity stripe.
The Tigers return to action on Wednesday, Jan. 14 when they travel to Columbia to take on the Missouri Tigers. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT and ESPN2 will carry the television broadcast.