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FAYETTEVILLE — After back-to-back subpar performances, Eric Musselman challenged Mason Jones to be more consistent.
The junior responded by scoring a team-high 22 points on 8 of 12 shooting and bringing down six rebounds in Arkansas’ 78-51 exhibition win over Southwestern Oklahoma State on Friday.
He was also 4 of 7 from beyond the arc, making it a complete turnaround from his combined 3-of-10 shooting performance - which included just 1 of 7 three-pointers - in the Razorbacks’ annual Red-White game and exhibition win over UALR.
“Coach told me a lot of people were disappointed in my performance against Little Rock,” Jones said. “I kind of took that personal, knowing that last year, a lot of people said I was inconsistent, so I wanted to go a little harder.”
On a night that his teammates couldn’t find the bottom of the net from distance - they were a combined 1 of 16 - Jones was Arkansas’ best option.
The first one he made broke an 11-11 tie about six minutes into the game and his second was part of a 9-0 run that expanded the Razorbacks’ lead to 15. Jones also made one in the final minute of the half that put them up by double digits for good and added a layup just before the buzzer.
Although his previous two outings - which also included six turnovers and 10 fouls - wouldn’t indicate it, his performance was something Musselman say in practice. The day before the game, he told the media that Jones had put together his best stretch of practices since he became the coach.
That wasn’t just coach-speak either, as evidenced by Jones replacing Jeantal Cylla in the starting lineup Friday night. It was something he “earned” in practice, Musselman said.
“I thought he carried his work ethic and his focus from the last few practices onto the court tonight,” Musselman said. “I thought he played unselfish. He’s obviously a big-time offensive weapon with his ability to make the three and he can play off the bounce, as well.”
In the second half, Jones also made a layup that started a 33-second stretch in which Arkansas scored six points thanks to back-to-back fast break layups by Desi Sills off turnovers. That pushed the Razorbacks’ lead to 24 points, forcing their Division II opponent to call a timeout midway through the half.
Southwestern Oklahoma State never got the margin back into the teens from that point on, as Arkansas led by as many as 30 points before settling into a 27-point victory.
As good as Jones was from beyond the arc, Adrio Bailey was just as effective in the paint. He made all seven of his attempts - which included just one jump shot, from the base line - to improve to 9 of 9 from the floor in the exhibition games.
In addition to scoring 23 points against UALR and SWOSU, Bailey had eight rebounds and four assists while also doing the things that don’t show up in the box score, like executing dribble-handoffs and defending pick-and-rolls, Musselman said.
“I think he’s kind of embraced his role and he’s had really, really good shot selection,” Musselman said. “I think that’s the biggest key, just how much his shot selection has improved in the last six months - understanding…what’s a good shot for him.”
Three other Razorbacks also scored in double figures, with Reggie Chaney finishing with 12 points and Jimmy Whitt Jr. and Sills each contributing 10.
They picked up the slack for sharp-shooter Isaiah Joe, who was held scoreless for the first time in an Arkansas uniform. He missed all five of his shots, including four from three-point range, and committed four fouls and three turnovers.
However, Musselman wasn’t too concerned by the lack of production. Joe did notch three assists, three rebounds and two steals, all while allowing his teammates to do damage on offense.
“A lot of times he drew two defenders and sometimes you see guys try to shoot through the double-teams and they get a little antsy, but I thought he did a great job of saying, ‘Alright, well the game’s going to turn into a 3-on-4 game if two defenders are focused on me,’” Musselman said. “That’s what you want from an unselfish scorer, so he kind of spaced the floor out at times and let some of his teammates take advantage of the numbers that were focused on him.”
Another key statistic from the game was that Arkansas won the rebound battle 49-26, but that was to be expected because the Bulldogs’ tallest player was 6-foot-9 and everyone else was 6-foot-6 or shorter.
Musselman was still pleased with how his team limited Southwestern Oklahoma State to only four offensive rebounds.
“I think from a rebounding standpoint tonight, even though the opponent was not a tall team, I thought we did a really, really good job of defensive rebounding, holding them to just four offensive rebounds,” Musselman said. “I thought our defensive rebounding was really good tonight.”
The Razorbacks now have 11 days - which include nine practices - to prepare for the regular season. The opener against Rice is scheduled for Nov. 5 with a 7 p.m. tip.
