Graham's paint efficiency essential against UNC Wilmington
Arkansas basketball forward Jalen Graham's streak of efficient play continued in the Razorbacks 106-90 victory over UNC Wilmington on Saturday inside Bud Walton Arena.
In 26:58 of game action, the 6-foot-10 post shot an immaculate 7-11 from the field for 16 points. He added another six rebounds with one block in the contest.
"I thought Jalen Graham was great tonight, I really did," head coach Eric Musselman said after the game. "He’s a really, really special offensive player. Tonight I thought he did an admirable job on the glass. He had six boards. I thought he did a good job rebounding. He knocked down both free throws.
"His free throw percentage has been a little bit problematic because he does have the ability to draw FTAs. But I thought he played really well, thought he played within himself. He was 7-11 from the field and two of them kind of rolled around off the lip of the rim and could’ve gone in. I thought he played a really, really solid game."
Across his last four outings, Graham has shot a combined 18-24 (75.0%) from the floor while averaging 10.5 points and 3.75 rebounds per game. That level of consistency has changed the makeup of the Razorbacks, who are in need of a paint-threat offensively.
"Being aggressive like he is, can’t say no more," guard Davonte Davis said after the game. "I know Jalen Graham can score the ball all around the rim. We give it to him, he scores. It’s not a surprise for me or the team."
With conference play on the horizon, Graham's emergence as a mostly reliable two-way player gives the Razorbacks added flexibility. His domination in the paint and around the hoop is vital to the Hogs' offensive success and will be needed in the SEC.
"We wanted to score half of our points in the paint," Musselman said. "That was our goal on Monday night when we got together on Christmas for our evening practice. And points in the paint when we went through our offensive script leading up to the game the first 10 plays, actually the first 11 plays, were supposed to be scored in the paint."
Up next, Arkansas (9-4) will take on the Auburn Tigers (10-2) on Saturday inside Bud Walton Arena. The game will tip off at 1:00 p.m. CT and will broadcast on ESPN2.