Arkansas’ losing streak reached four games with a blowout loss at No. 18 Ole Miss on Saturday.
The Razorbacks never led and suffered their second straight double-digit loss, falling to the Rebels 84-67. It is their longest losing streak since losing the last six games of the 2009-10 season.
An 8-0 run early in the second half pulled Arkansas within six points, but it was false hope. Mason Jones missed a three-pointer that would have kept the run going and cut the deficit in half.
Ole Miss outscored the Razorbacks by 11 the rest of the way and led by at least 10 points for the final 13 minutes. Turnovers were once again an issue for Arkansas, which has now given up 57 points on 38 turnovers in its last two games.
Jones had been the most consistent player for Arkansas in SEC play, averaging 19.8 points in the first four conference games, but really struggled against the Rebels. He scored just five points on 1 of 10 shooting, with his lone made field goal coming in the final two minutes, and missed all six of his shots beyond the arc.
His performance highlighted a poor showing from the Razorbacks’ starters, who were actually outscored 35-32 by the bench.
Isaiah Joe knocked down 3 of 9 three-pointers and led the starters with 11 points, but he was the only one in double figures.
For just the second time this season, Daniel Gafford was to single digits. Struggling against a constant double team, he turned the ball over five times and made 2 of 6 field goals. Most of his nine points came at the free throw line, where he made 5 of 6 attempts, and he added 10 rebounds.
A couple of surprising performances from Keyshawn Embery-Simpson and Gabe Osabuohien off the bench kept the game from being even more of a blowout.
Both players scored a career high, with Embery-Simpson leading the way with 16 points - 12 of which came in the second half - and Osabuohien more than doubling his previous high with 13 points.
That was not nearly enough to overcome big games from Breein Tyree and Terence Davis. Although Tyree had a game-high 22 points, it was Davis who stole the show for the Rebels.
No stranger to playing well against Arkansas, Davis averaged 21.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists in four previous starts in the series. He flirted with a triple-double Saturday, finishing with 18 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and five steals.
The Rebels also got double-digit contributions from Bruce Stevens off the bench and 7-foot big man Dominik Olejniczak, who scored 14 and 13 points, respectively.
Saturday’s loss drops Arkansas to 1-4 in SEC play for the first time in five years, when it managed to win nine of its final 13 conference games and make the NIT.
After a two-game road trip, the Razorbacks return to Bud Walton Arena on Wednesday for a matchup with Missouri. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. and it’ll be televised on the SEC Network.
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