FAYETTEVILLE (Interstat) — Arkansas opened its men’s NCAA Division I basketball season with a 106-61 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Bud Walton Arena on Tuesday, turning an early deficit into a lopsided win before an announced crowd of 19,200. The Razorbacks improved to 1-0, while the Golden Lions fell to 0-1. Arkansas combined an explosive first-half run with balanced scoring and steady pressure at both ends to pull away from the visiting Golden Lions. The Razorbacks led for most of the night after a brief early deficit and never allowed Arkansas-Pine Bluff to mount a serious comeback.

The most important stretch came early. Arkansas-Pine Bluff scored first when Creed Williamson made a layup with 19:24 remaining in the first half, but Arkansas answered with a 25-2 surge over the next several minutes. Jeremiah Wilkinson made a 3-pointer at 19:10 and added another 3-pointer at 13:49. Jordan Smith made one of two free throws at 17:50. Miikka Muurinen threw down a dunk at 16:19. Maper Makur made free throws at 15:22. Billy Richmond made consecutive dunks, JJ Andrews made a pullup jumper, Jordan Smith made a driving layup, and Davion Thompson capped the burst with a 3-pointer at 11:55 that gave the Razorbacks a 25-4 lead. The Golden Lions never recovered from that early separation, though they continued to compete behind Williamson and Jalen Tatum.

Arkansas maintained control through the rest of the first half. Jordan Smith made free throws and a driving layup, Wilkinson kept scoring from the perimeter and at the rim, and Maper Makur contributed free throws and an alley-oop. Arkansas-Pine Bluff received late first-half production from CJ Smith, who made a layup and a 3-pointer, and Williamson hit a 3-pointer with 26.3 seconds remaining. Harrison Pickett also made a layup and a 3-pointer during the half. Arkansas led 47-28 at halftime, having turned the early 2-0 deficit into a comfortable margin.

Arkansas kept the pressure on late in the first half. Abdou Toure made two free throws, Cooper Bowser dunked, and Wilkinson made a layup and free throws. Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s Jalen Tatum made a layup and two free throws, while CJ Smith made a layup and a 3-pointer. Williamson’s late 3-pointer trimmed the halftime deficit to 47-28.

The Razorbacks stretched the lead after halftime. Muurinen made a jump shot and free throw, Jordan Smith added a pullup jumper and a dunk, and Wilkinson converted a 3-pointer, a layup, a dunk and free throws as Arkansas moved ahead 76-42. Cooper Bowser added several dunks, Abdou Toure scored on pullup jumpers and free throws, and Davion Thompson contributed a layup and two free throws. Arkansas led 80-42 when Thompson made two free throws with 9:45 remaining. Arkansas-Pine Bluff got tip-ins from Jeremy Nyakundi and a late 3-pointer from Harrison Pickett, while Tatum continued to attack the basket. Nyakundi also made a 3-pointer and free throws in the closing minutes, and David Giddens made a driving layup with 45.6 seconds left. Ilia Frolov made a 3-pointer for the Razorbacks with 1:34 remaining, and Arkansas closed the scoring on Amere Brown’s two free throws with 29.3 seconds remaining.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff did not go away quietly in the second half. Tatum made a driving layup and free throws, Nyakundi scored twice on tip-ins, and Pickett made a 3-pointer with 5:07 remaining. Nyakundi later made a 3-pointer and two free throws, and Giddens scored on a driving layup in the final minute. But Arkansas answered each time, with Bowser dunking, Jordan Smith hitting a stepback jumper, Toure scoring on a pullup and two free throws, and Frolov connecting from beyond the arc.

Wilkinson led Arkansas with 23 points in 21 minutes, adding six rebounds, three assists and one block. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound guard from Powder Springs, Ga., who previously attended The Skill Factory, made an impact from the opening minutes and finished as the Razorbacks’ top performer. Jordan Smith added 20 points in 28 minutes with four rebounds and two assists. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound guard previously attended St. Paul VI Catholic High School. Jalen Tatum paced Arkansas-Pine Bluff with 16 points in 33 minutes, along with six rebounds, two assists and one block. The 6-foot-4 guard kept the Golden Lions organized and aggressive throughout. Creed Williamson scored 13 points in 20 minutes with three rebounds and two assists. The 6-foot-8 forward was Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s most reliable interior presence.

Maper Makur contributed six points, eight rebounds, one assist and two blocks in 22 minutes for Arkansas. The 7-foot center previously attended AUNZ Prep in Australia. Cooper Bowser had eight points, seven rebounds, one assist and one block in 16 minutes. Miikka Muurinen finished with 10 points, four rebounds and two assists in 17 minutes. The 7-foot forward previously attended KK Partizan in Belgrade, Serbia. Abdou Toure scored 12 points with three rebounds and two assists in 19 minutes. The 6-foot-5, 215-pound forward previously attended Notre Dame High School. Jeremy Nyakundi added 10 points and three rebounds in 14 minutes for the Golden Lions. The 6-foot-8 forward helped Arkansas-Pine Bluff stay active on the glass. Davion Thompson had seven points, one rebound and four assists in 18 minutes for Arkansas. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound guard previously attended Link Academy in Missouri.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s upcoming schedule includes road games at Baylor, UCLA, California Baptist, Southern California, Arkansas State, South Dakota, Missouri, Saint Louis, Texas A&M and Murray State. Arkansas is set to face Virginia in Washington, D.C., host Robert Morris, Central Arkansas, Mississippi Valley State, Oral Roberts, Oakland and Texas-Arlington, and travel to Indiana in New York, Michigan State in Detroit and North Carolina.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Arkansas 88, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 83. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Arkansas with a 98.6 percent probability to win.