FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas couldn’t get into a rhythm against Georgia Tech’s zone defense and the result was its second straight loss inside Bud Walton Arena.
After managing to dig themselves out of a big early hole, the Razorbacks couldn’t make enough plays down the stretch and fell to the Yellow Jackets 69-65 on Wednesday.
Coupled with the loss to Western Kentucky earlier this month, it marks the first time they’ve lost back-to-back non-conference games in Fayetteville since January 2010, when they fell to No. 24 UAB and No. 2 Texas in a four-day span.
“We had just played another game in Little Rock and now we've got all the finals out of the way, I thought we'd come out with a lot more energy for 40 minutes and we didn’t,” head coach Mike Anderson said. “We just had one of those bad nights when you're not shooting the ball well, we didn't do a good job getting our interior guys the ball, and when they did get it they missed a bunch of shots in there as well.”
Arkansas made just 1 of its first 11 shots, including eight missed three-point attempts, which set the tone for the rest of the game.
More than half of the Razorbacks’ field goal attempts (32 of 63) were from beyond the arc and they got to the free throw line for only nine attempts, showing their inability to get the ball inside against Georgia Tech’s zone.
“I didn’t think we attacked like we should have attacked,” Anderson said. “Obviously they are going to miss some calls here and there but I thought it had more to do with us not being more aggressive and attacking the basket and going up strong.”
Despite its poor shooting, Arkansas rallied from an 11-point deficit in the first half to take a one-point lead into halftime.
Both teams built moderate leads in the second half, but neither could get it to stick. That led to a five-minute period down the stretch in which the lead changed eight times before a pair of free throws by James Banks III put the Yellow Jackets up for good with 1:47 remaining.
After Isaiah Joe forced up a contested three-pointer on Arkansas’ ensuring possession, Jose Alvarado got the rebound and pushed it down the court for a layup to end the back-and-forth affair. The Razorbacks couldn’t swing the momentum back in their favor after that.
“We couldn’t get a stop when we needed it,” Mason Jones said. “They executed every time they needed a play to score, either we’d foul or they got a layup or made a shot when they needed it.”
Banks had a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds, helping the Yellow Jackets out-rebound Arkansas 43-31. He also had five blocks.
However, Alvarado was the bell-cow for Georgia Tech. The point guard didn’t come off the floor, playing a full 40 minutes and scoring a game-high 20 points while pulling down nine rebounds.
“I thought Jose’s leadership, his quarterbacking, from the first minute of the game to the very last minute, was outstanding,” Georgia Tech head coach Josh Pastner said. “I don’t know how many guys have come in here as the point guard and played 40 minutes and won a game. … That’s not easy to do.”
Jones led three scorers in double figures for the Razorbacks with 17 points, while also contributing six rebounds, five assists and two steals. The others were Daniel Gafford with 14 and Joe with 13.
Arkansas will have a chance to snap its Bud Walton losing streak Saturday when it hosts Texas State, which is 10-1. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. on the SEC Network.
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