Arkansas avoids upset, downs UNC Greensboro, 65-58
After trailing for 14:34 of the first half and having to battle a scrappy UNC Greensboro team for the entire second half, the No. 9 Arkansas Razorbacks avoided the upset bid with a 65-58 win over the Spartans.
It was the play of freshman Nick Smith Jr. and Rhode Island transfer Makhi Mitchell that helped propel the Razorbacks to victory. Smith led all scorers with 22 points and he added three rebounds and three assists. Mitchell put up a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Junior guard Davonte Davis also recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Arkansas shot just 30% from the field in the first half and improved that number to just 33.3% for the game with its second half offensive performance. The Hogs lost the turnover battle, 12-9, but won the battle on the boards, 47-39.
Here's a recap of the wild Tuesday night game at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.
UNCG began the game by knocking down a three, but the Hogs responded with a lob from Smith to Mitchell.
By the time the first media timeout came around, both teams had only added one bucket. Arkansas was ice cold at that point, as it was 0 of 4 from three.
The cold streak continued on for both teams following a pair of baskets out of the first break. Neither team scored across a span of 5:02, until UNCG hit a free throw at the 9:32 mark to extend its lead to 8-6.
After the teams combined to go 0 of 16 from the field across a nearly 6-minute span, Donovan Atwell knocked down a three to put the Spartans ahead by five. Atwell hit another deep shot out of the under-8 timeout to put his team up by eight.
Arkansas ended an 8:19 scoring drought with a midrange jumper from Davis, who then turned it over on the next possession to give the Spartans a transition dunk. A contested layup from Mohammed Abdulsalam gave UNCG an 11-point lead.
Smith hit his third shot of the game on a midrange jumper, but Dante Treacy countered with a 3-pointer to give the Spartans a 22-10 advantage.
Mitchell took his time down low and found a crease for a layup to trim the disadvantage to nine and Black hit a layup and drew a foul at the under-4 timeout. Another layup from Black brought the Razorbacks within seven at the 2:39 mark.
A pair of free throws from Mitchell cut it to a 24-19 ballgame and Davis hit a pull-up by the free throw line to make it a three-point deficit with just over 30 seconds in the half. Treacy snuck his way down low and converted a layup with five seconds left to put UNCG up 26-21 at halftime.
Smith opened up the second half with Arkansas' first three of the game, but Keyshaun Langley converted a 3-point play on the other end.
Bas Layte hit drove the paint and hit a layup to extend the lead to seven for the Spartans. Ricky Council IV nailed a pair of shots at the charity stripe for the Hogs and Smith drove all the way down the court by himself to lay it in and make it a 3-point game.
Black found an opening in the corner and sank a the 3-pointer with 15:48 left to give Arkansas a 34-31 lead and send the fans at Bud Walton into a frenzy. The crowd was silenced when Atwell knocked down his third three of the game to put the Spartans back up.
A quick 5-0 run by UNCG, which included another Atwell three, gave it a 5-point lead again. Mitchell powered his way into a layup just before a timeout at the 12:25 mark.
Smith was fouled by Atwell with 11:51 to go and that put the Hogs in the bonus. Smith drained both shots to tie the game at 41-41. Mitchell gave Arkansas a 43-42 lead with two free throws at the 9:46 mark.
A three from Keondre Kennedy put the Spartans ahead by one with just over seven minutes to play. Following a UNCG layup, Mitchell slammed it home for the Hogs to make it a 49-48 Spartans lead. A free throw from Black tied the game at 49-49 with 4:21 to go.
Black drilled a deep shot with just over three minutes left to put Arkansas up by five and bring every fan out of their seat. Kobe Langely hit a step-back three with 2:06 left to cut the Hogs' lead to 54-52.
Two freebies from Council gave Arkansas a two possession lead. Following a Spartans turnover, Smith took the ball all the way to the rack himself and drew a foul. Arkansas was up by seven after he completed the 3-point play.
Speaking of 3-point plays, Abdulsalam converted one of his own on the ensuing Spartans possession. A pair of free throws from Davis with 0:31 seemed to seal the deal, but Langeley drained a deep shot 10 seconds later to make it a 61-58 Arkansas lead.
The Spartans were forced to foul Council, who made both shots to make it 63-58. Two 3-pointer tries were unsuccessful on the other end and the Hogs emerged victorious.
Final Stats
