Razorbacks grind out road win at Texas A&M
Led by the outstanding efforts of guard Tramon Mark and forward Makhi Mitchell, the Arkansas Razorbacks (13-13, 4-9 SEC) went into Reed Arena and stole a 78-71 win over the Texas A&M Aggies (15-11, 6-7 SEC) on Tuesday evening in College Station, Texas.
Mark led all scorers with 26 points and he added five assists and six rebounds, while Mitchell had a double-double with a career-high 22 points, 13 rebounds and he had four blocks.
The Razorbacks shot 39.0% from the field, 26.7% from three and 82.4% from the free throw line in the game. They forced 12 turnovers and scored 13 points off those giveaways, plus they outscored the Aggies by nine in the paint.
The Rundown...
Arkansas was already without forwards Trevon Brazile (knee) and Jalen Graham (shoulder) along with guard Keyon Menifield (groin) entering the game, and then veteran guard Devo Davis picked up two fouls within the first three minutes of play.
Luckily for the Hoop Hogs, guard Jeremiah Davenport came off the bench to knock down a pair of shots and make the deficit just 7-5 at the first media timeout.
The Razorbacks were benefiting from a slow offensive start for the Aggies and the deficit was just 13-11 by the under-12 minute media timeout. Both teams had just four made field goals each by that point, but the Aggies were plus-four on the boards.
Despite a scoring drought that lasted longer than three minutes, the Razorbacks were trailing just 19-17 by the time play was stopped at the 8:14 mark. A strong effort on the defensive boards and 11 points from the bench duo of Mitchell and Davenport was keeping Arkansas in it.
A quick 7-0 run by Arkansas gave the Hogs their first lead, 20-19, with just more than seven minutes to play in the first half. Freshman Layden Blocker's first three of the year made it 23-19 moments later for the Hogs.
Arkansas grew its lead to six points by the final media timeout of the first half. Battle's game total was up to a game-high 10 points by then, which was much-needed as junior guard Tramon Mark was forced to exit with what seemed to be a shoulder injury (he returned shortly after).
The lead grew to as much as eight for the Hogs, but the Aggies worked to cut their deficit to 35-31 at halftime. Mitchell's 13 points and five boards stood out at the break, as did Arkansas' 10 second chance points compared to zero for A&M.
Texas A&M opened the second half 1-of-6 from the field, but the Aggies managed to out-score the Hogs by two in the first four minutes to make it a two-point game at the under-16 media break.
Arkansas proceeded to lock down on the defensive end over the next 8.5 minutes — literally. Texas A&M went 0 of 14 from the field over that span, yet the Aggies kept the second half scoring at nine points apiece and they trailed 44-40 by the under-12 minute timeout came around with 11:29 to play.
Blocker drew his fourth foul and put the Aggies in the double bonus with just less than 10 minutes left to play. Despite the overwhelming amount of whistles in A&M's favor, the Razorbacks started seeing shots fall to take a 7-point lead by the under-8 minute timeout.
Texas A&M continued to chip away at the Arkansas lead while also keeping the Hogs from hitting a field goal for over four minutes. During that span, the Aggies were able to cut the Razorbacks' lead to 61-58 by the 2:44 mark.
With Reed Arena at a deafening pitch, Mark knocked down a three and drew the foul to complete a 4-point play and make the Arkansas lead seven just like that.
Texas A&M stuck kept the game within single digits, but a pair of foul outs from Wade Taylor IV and Jace Carter helped put the Hogs over the top down the stretch.
The Razorbacks will now turn their attention to a matchup with the Missouri Tigers at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 11 a.m. CT and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN2.
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Box Score
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