Missouri defeats Arkansas 79-76 in foul fest
The No. 25 Razorbacks found themselves in a familiar position Wednesday night, leading their opponent by 10 points in the second half. Just like Vanderbilt on Saturday, however, the Missouri Tigers scratched their way back into the game and overcame the deficit to hand the Hogs their fourth straight conference defeat, a 79-76 decision.
The final seven minutes of the contest featured four Arkansas players called for their fifth personal fouls, forcing Eric Musselman to use unfamiliar combinations on the floor. The Tigers shot a whopping 40 free throws, 30 of which they drained.
Davonte Davis' 18 points were a team-high before he fouled out late in the game. Anthony Black totaled 15 points and Ricky Council IV added 13 in the contest.
Though the Hogs shot 46% from the field in the game, they couldn't overcome 21 turnovers and 33 fouls.
Here's a recap of Arkansas' loss on Wednesday, which dropped it to 1-5 in conference play.
The Razorbacks opened the game with an elite stretch of defense and a trio of baskets, including a trey from Council and layups from Black and Davis to go up 7-0 at the first media timeout.
Missouri's first basket fell at the 14:59 mark to make it a 5-point deficit for the home team.
Walsh knocked down a three to put the Hogs up 12-5, but he had to head to the bench after recorded his second foul of the game just before the under-12 timeout.
The Tigers finally saw life with a steal and a layup from Kobe Brown, who completed the 3-point play with a free throw to make it a 12-9 Arkansas lead with 9:23 to play.
A 3-pointer from Aidan Shaw tied the ballgame at 15-15 and it extended a Missouri run to 9-3 with just under eight minutes left in the first half. Another three from Shaw gave Tigers their first lead, 18-17, at the 7:13 mark.
Both teams went back-and-forth over the next few minutes, and Arkansas gained a solid stretch of play from freshman Derrian Ford, who provided four points and helped the Hogs to a 25-24 lead at the final media timeout of the first half.
After he scored five straight, Davis committed a turnover and a foul that sent the Tigers to the line and allowed them to tie the game at 32-32 with just under a minute to play in the half. Davis made up for it with a 3-pointer that countered a dunk from D'Moi Hodge and gave the Hogs a 35-34 lead at the break.
The Tigers opened the second half on a 9-2 run, forcing a timeout from Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman. Council's third foul at the 17:29 mark didn't help much at all, either.
Musselman's squad responded well, as three straight slam dunks from Council, Jordan Walsh and Black put the Razorbacks ahead 49-47 and forced a timeout from Missouri head coach Dennis Gates with 12:20 to play.
A layup from Council extended the Arkansas run to 8-0 and the lead to six, forcing another timeout from Gates, who was desperately trying to get his team to return to the form they had to start the half.
The two teams matched each other point-for-point for almost two minutes before Walsh forced the Tigers to call their final timeout. He hit a triple and a layup, stretching the lead to 10 points and becoming the fourth Razorback to double-digit points with about seven minutes remaining.
Walsh fouled out a few seconds later, ending his night a perfect 4-4 from the field with a pair of 3-pointers, two rebounds and a turnover.
The Tigers began to claw back, but Davis' third 3-pointer of the contest made it a 10-point affair once more. They refused to roll over, though, mounting a 6-0 run in a little over a minute to shave the margin to two possessions with under four minutes to go.
Leading 67-63 with under three minutes left, Arkansas sent Missouri to the line for its 28th and 29th free throw attempts. One was all the Tigers could manage, but Johnson turned it over, allowing for a game-tying 3-pointer.
Johnson threw it down at the other end to regain the lead, which was gone with another Arkansas foul and two Missouri free throws on the ensuing possession.
Makhi Mitchell extended the next possession with an offensive rebound and drew a foul, knocking down both shots, improving to 5-6 for the game. He committed his fifth foul on the other end as the Tigers tied it yet again.
Davis and Johnson joined Walsh and Mitchell on the bench, and Brown hit both free throws for a 73-71 Missouri lead, one it would not surrender, with just under 30 seconds to play.
Up next, the Razorbacks will return home for the first time since Jan. 11 to face the Ole Miss Rebels at 11 a.m. CT Saturday inside Bud Walton Arena. The game will be televised on ESPN2.
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