Razorback sophomore guard Davonte Davis (#4) from Jacksonville, AR feeds the ball to a teammate against Mercer Tuesday night at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, AR.

Nate Allen

FAYETTEVILLE - It wasn’t Greg Gary’s fault, but he paid dearly.

Tuesday night for a previous Mercer University Bears coach’s recruiting omission.

From relatively near Mercer’s Macon, Ga. campus, high school guard JD Notae was Mercer-overlooked in Covington, Ga.

Notae went to Florida and at Jacksonville University then transferred last season to Arkansas.

Tuesday night for the nationally No. 17 Razorbacks, Notae haunted the school that didn’t sign him. He scored his Arkansas career high 30 points and swiped seven steals leading Arkansas’ season-opening 74-61 triumph at an every game sold out Walton Arena.

“A lot of people don’t know this, but coming up in high school we used to go to Mercer’s camp every year,” senior guard Notae said. “So like they ain’t offered me coming out of high school so that was kind of personal. So this game is kind of personal to me.”

Arkansas Coach Eric Musselman was unaware of Notae’s grudge.

“I guess I wish I would have known pregame,” Musselman said. “He did not discuss that with me at all.  Obviously we needed JD's points.”

Despite Notae’s efforts, it appeared Mercer took the game more personally in the first half.

After evaporating an early 7-point Arkansas lead, the Bears led as much as 10 before entering intermission up 36-28.

Two factors that Arkansas Coach Eric Musselman winced about for Arkansas’ two exhibition games, 3-point defense and assists/turnover ratio, haunted the Hogs again.

Mercer hit 10 first-half threes for its 8-point lead while making 10 assists against five turnovers to Arkansas’ five assists vs. nine turnovers.

Arkansas corrected all that in the second half. The Bears added just three more threes, and behind from University of Pittsburgh graduate transfer forward Au’Diese Toney’s 18 points/11 rebounds double-double, dominated the boards all game finishing up 35-22.

“I thought Au'Diese Toney was, in my opinion, not even close player of the game,” Musselman said. “We did not run one play for him, and he scored 18 points in the most efficient way you possibly can, going 7-of-9 from the field. He had five O-boards and 11 total boards. He was phenomenal.”

Notae concurred.

“I thought he was phenomenal,” Notae said. “Every time there was a shot he was right there and putting it back in.”

Off the bench guard Chris Lykes, 16 points, including 7 of 8 free throws including three after fouled on a 3-pointer that sealed the game, and starting guard Devo Davis, though himself not scoring but holding Mercer All-Southern Conference guard Neftali Alvarez to eight points, were pivotal, too.

And a big assist goes to sophomore center Jaylin Williams, normally a starter but out with back spasms most of the practice prep for Mercer and playing little in Tuesday’s first half but starting Arkansas’ 46-25 second half.  Williams’ 6-10 only scored four points but was Mr. Assist with a team leading five and grabbed eight boards.

“Jaylin was awesome,” Musselman said. ”I mean, he’s our best facilitator. I can’t play him at the point, but we need his passing. He’s a willing passer, he’s got great vision.”

And passed better than Wednesday’s point guards.

“You don’t see many bigs pass like that,” Toney said. “Jaylin doing what he did coming off an injury. He played his butt off.”

The Razorbacks’ resurgence commenced with a second half opening 8-0 run, but Mercer wouldn’t go away. Gary’s Bears, 1-1, were down only three with 6:04 left.

“We scheduled what we thought was a really good team,” Musselman said, “That first half they torched us from three.”

Arkansas next plays at 2 p.m. Saturday hosting Gardner-Webb at Walton.

• Razorback sophomore guard Davonte Davis (#4) from Jacksonville, AR feeds the ball to a teammate against Mercer Tuesday night at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, AR.

• Razorback senior guard Chris Lykes (#11) from Mitchellville, MD shoots a short jumper for two against Mercer Tuesday night at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, AR

• Razorback senior guard Au'Diese Toney (#5) from Huntsville, AL dunks for two points against Mercer Tuesday night at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, AR.

• Razorback senior guard JD Notae (#1) from Covington, GA drives to the basket against Mercer Tuesday night at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, AR.

• Razorback senior guard Stanley Umude (#0) from San Antonio, TX drives to the basket against Mercer Tuesday night at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, AR.