Arkansas forwards Jonas Aidoo and Trevon Brazile continue to heat up at the right time, as the duo both logged double-digit points Wednesday in the Razorbacks' 72-68 win over South Carolina to open SEC Tournament play at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.
Aidoo logged his third double-double in the past four games with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Brazile led the Hogs with 16 points and he added seven rebounds and three steals. It marked the third straight game with double-digit points for Brazile, who had double-doubles in each of the prior two games against Vanderbilt and Mississippi State.
"We've become one heartbeat, you know why? We had to," head coach John Calipari said postgame on SEC Network. "We were dying. So they came together. I said (to Aidoo), 'Why are you playing like this?' He said, 'I don't want it to end.'"
Brazile made his ninth start of the season and had six points by the first media timeout. Aidoo was the Hogs' first man off the bench and he made an impact right from the start, as the Tennessee transfer knocked down a pair of jump shots within his first minute on the court.
Over the final 10 minutes of the first half, Aidoo scored 10 more points, grabbed eight rebounds and he added one steal and one block. He was 6-for-7 shooting from the field and he had a team-best plus/minus of plus-20 over the first 20 minutes.
The play of Aidoo and Brazile, who added five points in the final three minutes of the half, allowed Arkansas to pull away from the Gamecocks late in the first half to take a 47-30 lead into the locker room. It marked the most first half points in an SEC game for the Razorbacks this year, and it was 33 more points than the team's 14 in the first half of the 72-53 loss at South Carolina on March 1.
Arkansas went nearly 12 minutes without a made field goal at one point in the second half, which allowed South Carolina to make it as close as a one-point game after the lead was once as much as 20 points for the Razorbacks. Again, it was the play of Brazile and Aidoo in crunch time that helped the Hogs hold off the Gamecocks' upset attempt.
Aidoo made a defensive stop against South Carolina star Collin Murray-Boyles on a shot that could've given the Gamecocks the lead. Brazile then had a big block, an offensive rebound and hit a jumper shortly after, plus he logged a steal on the final inbounds pass of the game by South Carolina.
"We've been fighting all year," Brazile said to SEC Network postgame. "It's nothing different. We knew they were going to make a run. They're a good team, obviously, but we stuck it out at the end."
Wednesday's performance was the latest breakout showing for Aidoo, who battled a foot injury early in the year and didn't contribute much throughout the majority of SEC play. The 6-foot-11 forward recorded his first double-double of the season in the March 1 loss at South Carolina with 10 points and 10 rebounds. His second double-double featured 21 points and 10 boards in the win over Mississippi State on Saturday.
Aidoo was a Second Team All-SEC performer for Tennessee last season, when he averaged 11.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. His season averages entering the win over the Gamecocks on Wednesday were 5.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest.
"Coach Cal can tell you I had a good talk with him in the middle of the season," Aidoo said to SEC Network postgame. "I talked with a lot of the coaches too, so I know I didn't want the season to end early. They needed me and I knew I needed them. So we've just got to put the foot on the pedal and keep going all the way. I don't want the season to end yet."
The Razorbacks are now 7-0 on the year when Brazile scores in double digits. Four of those performances have come since Feb. 26.
Arkansas, which is the 9-seed in the SEC Tournament, will take on 8-seed Ole Miss on Thursday at noon CT at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The game will air on SEC Network.
