Arkansas traveled to Knoxville to play No. 3 Tennessee on Tuesday night and left saddled with its sixth loss of the season and first by double-digits.
The Razorbacks fell 106-87 in their worst loss since the last time they faced the Volunteers, an 84-66 loss in the 2018 SEC tournament.
The Volunteers took complete control of the game early on, rocketing off to a 14-0 run to jump ahead 20-5. Arkansas missed eight of its first 10 shots while Tennessee put up 17 shots in the same time span.
Seven Tennessee offensive rebounds and a 2-of-6 start at the free throw line for Arkansas were prime culprits of the Razorbacks' slow start.
Mason Jones hit two three-pointers, one on each side of the under-12 media timeout, to give the Hogs a little bit of life and mitigate a disadvantage that had grown to 17 points.
By the time the next media timeout rolled around, the Volunteer lead was 28-17. Three of Arkansas’ five made field goals at this point came from behind the arc while 16 of Tennessee’s points came from inside the paint.
The Volunteers began to slowly pull away during the rest of the half, dominating the charity stripe and taking advantage on a number of unforced Arkansas turnovers.
With under five minutes remaining in the half, back-to-back jumpers by Tennessee’s John Fulkerson and Jordan Bone opened up a 42-21 lead for the Volunteers and forced Mike Anderson into a timeout.
That lead only grew in the final minutes of the half for Tennessee as Arkansas resorted to one-on-one basketball on one side and giving up open jumpers at every level on the other.
A late Jalen Harris layup cut left Tennessee’s lead to 55-34. It was the second consecutive game the Razorbacks allowed at least 50 first-half points and the most the Volunteers have scored in the first half this season.
Isaiah Joe led Arkansas at the break with 11 points on 3-of-9 shooting. All three made field goals came from deep, where the Hogs were 4 of 13 during the half.
Tennessee scored 20 of its first half points at the free throw line and 21 off of Arkansas’ 11 turnovers. Daniel Gafford was held to six points and three rebounds over the first 20 minutes.
The teams traded baskets and turnovers through the first five minutes of the second half, with Gafford making a layup and Harris throwing down a pair of dunks in the early minutes.
A mini 9-2 Tennessee run was answered by a 7-1 Arkansas run that featured Joe’s fourth long-range bucket. Jordan Bowden hit a three just before the under-12 media timeout, giving Tennessee a 76-52 lead.
The point-swapping continued as both teams found a rhythm on offense. Tennessee reached a 30-point lead with 7:44 left after two straight Adrio Bailey turnovers led to five quick points and a 91-61 advantage for the Volunteers.
Arkansas did put together an 8-0 run as a response, but it ended when Gafford fouled out going for a rebound and sending Grant Williams to the free throw line.
Gafford finished with 10 points and seven rebounds in 20 minutes. Bailey and Gabe Osabuohien also fouled out but combined for just 12 points and seven turnovers.
Arkansas won the final five minutes, 20-15, but did so in garbage time. Ethan Henderson scored for the second time this season and first since his three points against Florida International.
The Hogs shot 57.1 percent in the second half but Tennessee also shot north of 50 percent. The Volunteers’ substantial 35-13 free throw advantage ended up being a vital difference in a game that saw 28 fouls called on the Razorbacks.
The 106 points allowed are the second most Arkansas has ever given up in SEC play and most since the record - 109 points allowed against Alabama in 2002.
Joe broke out of his recent slump to score 23 points - more than he had in the first three SEC games combined - to lead Arkansas, with all seven of his field goals coming from outside. Jones had 18 points and seven rebounds, while Reggie Chaney added 11 points and six rebounds.
The Razorbacks stay on the road this week and play red-hot Ole Miss at noon Saturday on the SEC Network. The Rebels have won 10 straight, are 13-2 and just cracked the AP top-25 at No. 18.
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