FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Central Arkansas got within six points twice in the last six minutes Friday night.
Both times, Arkansas had an answer.
The Hogs finished on a 9-0 run and beat the Bears 79-66 at Bud Walton Arena.
Arkansas beats Central Arkansas for the 11th time in as many meetings. The No. 19/20 Razorbacks are 7-0 against UCA in Fayetteville, and this was the fifth game between the schools in seven years.
The late push started with UCA down 66-51. The Bears scored nine straight to make it 66-60 with 5:13 left. They were still hanging around at 68-62 with 4:25 to play.
Jeremiah Wilkinson broke the tension with a 3-pointer. Cooper Bowser hit two free throws, and Billy Richmond III got out on the break for a dunk. Bowser’s layup put Arkansas up 77-62 with 1:36 left.
The Bears had already made one run after halftime. They opened the second half on a 21-12 spurt and got to 55-48 with 12:13 to go.
Abdou Toure hit a 3-pointer as Arkansas answered that one. UCA won the second half 39-36, which isn’t the half anyone in red will be rewatching.
Richmond does a little bit of everything
Richmond put up 21 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Nobody on either side played better.
Fifteen of his points came before halftime. After the break, he went to work on the glass and grabbed six of his nine rebounds.
He didn’t miss from deep, either. Richmond went 3-for-3 from 3-point range for a career high in makes, and he’s 8-of-10 from out there this season counting exhibitions. He was plus-21.
Wilkinson scored 14 points with four 3-pointers. He’s the only Razorback who has reached double figures in all four games. Over his career, he’s done it 55 times in 67 games.
Jordan Smith Jr. only missed once from the field. He went 5-of-6 for 12 points and also had three assists, three steals and two blocks. No Hog had a better plus-minus than his plus-23.
Miikka Muurinen scored 11 and chipped in a pair of blocks to go with his three steals. Bowser led Arkansas with eight points after halftime.
Off the bench, Davion Thompson handed out a team-high eight assists. He’s had 15 assists in the last two games. Thompson and Bowser both finished plus-11.
A fast start built the cushion
The first half is where Arkansas won this one. UCA led 7-6 early before the Hogs took off.
Arkansas went on a 20-2 run that included an 11-0 stretch. It was 26-9 with 9:39 left in the half.
UCA got it back to 37-26 with 1:50 to go before the break. Wilkinson then hit two 3-pointers, and the Razorbacks led 43-27 at halftime.
Arkansas shot 55% in the first half and went 7-of-14 from deep. UCA shot 36% and made 4 of 16 3-pointers.
The Hogs had 15 fastbreak points in the half to UCA’s zero. They also had seven turnovers before halftime.
Harrison Beauchamp led the Bears with 14 points.
Indiana is up next at Madison Square Garden
Arkansas is 3-0 this season when it shoots 50% or better from the field. Under John Calipari, the Hogs are 36-0 when they reach that mark.
Smith, Wilkinson, Richmond, Muurinen and Bowser got the start. Arkansas won the opening tip.
Smith scored the first points of the game at 18:51 on a pair of free throws. JJ Andrews and Thompson were the first two subs at 16:43.
Next up is Indiana in the Bad Boys Mower Series. The game’s at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Tipoff is Tuesday, Nov. 17, at 6:30 p.m. CT. You can catch it on Peacock and the NBC Sports Network.
