No Muss, No Problem: Hogs cap non-conference play with win over ACU

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FAYETTEVILLE — Without head coach Eric Musselman on the bench, Arkansas raced out to an early lead and sustained a late rally to beat Abilene Christian on Tuesday.

Desi Sills carried the load before halftime with 16 first-half points and then JD Notae took over with 17 second-half points, helping the Razorbacks to an 85-72 win over the Wildcats inside Bud Walton Arena.

Those players finished with 18 and 19 points, respectively, but Arkansas was paced by freshman Moses Moody, who scored 21 points on an efficient 6-of-10 shooting that included 3 of 5 from beyond the arc.

Arkansas’ second-year coach had to watch the game from home because he’s quarantining after coming into close contact with an undisclosed staff member who tested positive for the virus. In Musselman’s place, associate head coach David Patrick served as the interim coach.

“My relationship with Eric, I knew what he wanted,” Patrick said. “I didn’t try to do my thing, I tried to do what he’s stressed to the team and I think our guys played hard. … They played hard for Coach Muss. I think they played hard for all of us, the staff that wasn’t here, and for myself.”

The win improves the Razorbacks to 8-0 ahead of SEC play, which begins with a road trip to Auburn on Dec. 30. It’s the second straight year Arkansas has won eight games and it’s the first time it has been undefeated going into conference play since the 1993-94 season.

After back-to-back slow starts against UCA and Oral Roberts, games it trailed by double digits, Arkansas didn’t waste any time Tuesday afternoon.

The Razorbacks jumped out to an 11-1 lead as Abilene Christian missed its first five shots. It wasn’t until about five minutes in - when Clay Gayman made a deep three-pointer - that the Wildcats finally knocked down a shot from the field.

“I think the lesson after the last game, that Coach Muss talked to them about, is you can’t underestimate anybody and you’ve got to come out swinging, so to speak,” Patrick said. “I think the guys took the message from our last game and came out focused.”

It was just a four-point game following a layup by Gayman, but Arkansas quickly stretched it back out. The first of several great passes by Vance Jackson resulted in a pair of free throws by Sills that put the Razorbacks up by 11 at the 12:12 mark. It would remain a double-digit lead for most of the game.

Jackson, a graduate transfer from New Mexico who has struggled early on during his time in Fayetteville, gave the Razorbacks a solid 14 minutes off the bench in the first half.

Although he was credited with only two assists, which came on a fantastic pass to Connor Vanover for a base line jumper and a kick out to Sills for a three, Jackson also had two passes to Sills cutting to the basket that resulted in free throws. Including the five points he scored himself, he had a hand in 14 points in the game’s first 20 minutes.

“When Vance plays comfortable, that's what he does,” Moody said. “He's a very prime contributor. He can score the ball, he can switch off of pick and rolls, he can really do it all. You guys got to see that in that half.”

Moody, who has now scored in double figures in the first eight games of his career, knocked down a three-pointer that gave the Razorbacks a 22-point lead with about 3.5 minute left in the half and it looked like they might run away with it.

However, Arkansas struggled down the stretch. In the final three minutes, Jalen Tate was called for a pair of offensive fouls and KK Robinson made a bad pass, giving the Razorbacks three turnovers, plus they made just 2 of 4 free throw attempts.

Despite those issues, Arkansas still held a 47-31 lead at the break, highlighted by Jackson’s play and Sills’ 16 points - which he accumulated by attacking the basket and getting to the free throw line, where he made 6 of 7 attempts.

“He came out aggressive, he was hitting shots, getting to the cup,” Moody said. “He can get into the lane, get us a lot of FTAs, so he's going to get to the line and draw the defense and kick out and create. He can do it all. His stat line doesn't just stop with scoring.”

The Razorbacks managed to stretch their lead back to 22 points in the first several minutes of the second half, but Abilene Christian used a 9-2 run to cut it to 15 and Patrick called a timeout with Arkansas up 66-51.

The timeout didn’t seem to work, though, as the Wildcats continued to chip away at that lead. They got within 12 with just under six minutes left and then Gayman - who scored a team-high 18 points - made another three to get their deficit to single digits for the first time in nearly 29 minutes of game time.

“It’s tough at that (point) in the game,” Patrick said. “You’re trying not to foul, but you have to get up and pressure and (Gayman) made some big shots for them.”

That would be as close as Abilene Christian got, though, as Notae answered with a three of his own on the next possession and added another deep ball about a minute and a half later.

Two quick fouls limited Notae to only two minutes in the first half, but he was a huge factor after halftime. In 19 minutes, he made 5 of 11 shots - including 3 of 4 from beyond the arc - and made all four of his free throws.

“Obviously when he got back in to play in the second half he was fresh and got us going,” Patrick said. “He’s getting better and better every game. We all know he can score, but I thought he made some good passes for us in the second half on top of his scoring.”

Arkansas now has eight days before heading to Auburn for the start of SEC play. The players will get a few days off for Christmas and then return to Fayetteville to prepare for the 6 p.m. CT tip on Dec. 30 that will be televised on ESPN2.