The No. 20 Arkansas Razorbacks (3-1) scooted by the Pacific Tigers (3-3), 91-72, behind an efficient shooting night in all three phases of the game.
Led by forward Adou Thiero's 23 points, the Hoop Hogs shot 31-of-52 from the field, 9-of-21 from three and 20-of-25 from the charity stripe. All seven Razorbacks that played scored and only one (Karter Knox) failed to convert a field goal attempt.
"How about this? And you’re saying that Bob, (Thiero) ain’t taking 20 shots," head coach John Calipari said after the game. "He’s scoring 19 on 10 shots. Today, it was 8 for 10, but what he’s done is he’s matured. He’s in better shape. He’s stronger. He’s better with the ball because he’s stronger. He’s a better player."
RELATED: Social media reacts to Arkansas' 91-72 win over Pacific
Most notable is Arkansas' 42.9% shooting from distance, which comes one game after shooting 10-of-23 (43.5%) against Troy. Prior to that, the Razorbacks were 11-of-43 (25.6%) combined from beyond the arc in games against Lipscomb and Baylor.
"But you do know, since Baylor — when we started 0 for 9 — after that through this game, I think we’re at 45, 46% of our 3s," Calipari said. "We’re at a high number. We just, you know, we’re a little bit confused and weren’t as confident as we needed to be. But they’re shooting the ball better."
To play devil's advocate, it's fair to point out that seven of Arkansas' threes against Troy came from Zvonimir Ivisic (six threes) and Thiero (one three), both forwards. Against the Tigers, however, guards Johnell Davis, Boogie Fland and DJ Wagner combined to shoot 6-of-11 from three.
"I feel like it’s still early in the season, not many teams are shooting well," Fland said after the game. "I feel like we’re going to keep getting in the gym and consistently shooting. Coach is going to have something to say regardless so I feel like we just have to stay mentally focused and keep knocking down shots and trusting ourselves and staying confident."
RELATED: Arkansas beats Pacific, 91-72
After shooting 6-of-14 on dunk and layup attempts against the Trojans last week, Arkansas fared far better in the department with a 15-for-18 mark versus the Tigers. The Razorbacks also never trailed against Pacific thanks to 40 points in the paint, 22 points off turnovers and 20 fastbreak points.
With a matchup against the Little Rock Trojans — a team that ranks 193rd in three-point percentage defense — coming up Friday, Arkansas should continue seeing success shooting the ball ahead of some tougher non-conference games in the coming weeks.
Up next, Arkansas will welcome Little Rock to Bud Walton Arena on Friday. That game will tip-off at 8 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on SEC Network.
