It was a much closer game than most anticipated, but Arkansas (8-4) came back from a double-digit second half deficit to defeat Abilene Christian, 83-73, on Thursday night at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.
For most of the game, the Razorbacks looked lethargic, playing with little energy and struggling to score or defend. Early in the second half, though, Arkansas flipped a switch and went on an extended run to take the lead.
Yet again, Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman changed the starting lineup, searching for some combination of players that works. The rotations were different, as well, and transfer guard Keyon Menifield continued to work his way into the core group in his second game since being ruled eligible.
Tramon Mark and Khalif Battle were the Razorback offense, with the two scoring 25 and 18 points, respectively. Outside of those two, Menifield added 11 points and Chandler Lawson had nine.
Mark finished with a double-double, 25 points and 11 rebounds, while Lawson narrowly missed one with nine points and 10 rebounds. Not all stats for the Razorbacks were good, though. Arkansas turned the ball over 17 times, which the Wildcats turned into 16 points, and allowed 11 offensive rebounds, which led to 19 second chance points.
As always, social media had plenty to say, especially about the first half:
