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Razorbacks falter at end, dropping game to Oklahoma, 65-62
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — In a game that featured 11 ties and five lead changes, Oklahoma’s Jalon Moore made the first of two free throws, missing the second, with 1:15 left to give the Sooners a 63-62 lead.
Neither team scored over the next minute plus before Moore had a breakaway dunk with 0.7 seconds left to lift Oklahoma to a 65-62 victory Saturday night at Bud Walton Arena.
With 24 seconds left, Oklahoma’s Mohamed Wague was called for an offensive foul. Arkansas wound the clock down to 12 seconds before taking a timeout. Johnell Davis had a back-door layup attempt with four seconds left, but could not convert, leading to a Duke Miles defensive rebound and pass to Moore for the final bucket.
One of the game’s turning points was Oklahoma erasing a six-point deficit on back-to-back possessions by making three free throws each trip when Arkansas was whistled for fouling on 3-point attempts. Luke Northweather made the first trio of free throws with 9:33 left. Then, Jeremiah Frears hit three free throws with 9:01 left to tie the game.
From that point, the game was tied six more times over the final 8:39 until Moore’s free throw with 1:15 left.
Fears led Oklahoma with 16 points, going 7-of-7 at the line, while Moore scored 13 points.
For Arkansas Johnell Davis scored a season-high 18 points and had a season-high four steals. D.J. Wagner added 13 points with Adou Thiero and Zvonimir Ivisic each scoring 10 points.
Arkansas will not play a midweek game next week and returns to action at Kentucky next Saturday.
FIRST HALF: Oklahoma 35, Arkansas 31
• Arkansas scored first but Oklahoma used a 14-3 run, including spurts of 8-0 and 6-0, to lead 21-13.
• The Sooners led the rest of the first half.
• Oklahoma led by as many as 13 (33-20) before Arkansas closed the half with an 11-2 run for a four-point deficit.
• The difference in the half was Oklahoma making seven 3-pointers to Arkansas’ five.
SECOND HALF: Arkansas 31, Oklahoma 30
• Arkansas started the second half out-scoring the Sooners 19-9, including a 14-5 spurt thanks to seven points from Ivisic and a 3-pointer from Thiero.
• Ivisic capped the 14-5 run with a 3-pointer to give Arkansas its largest lead of six points (50-44)
• After making 7-of-16 from 3-point range in the first half, the Sooners were 0-of-5 from deep in the second half.
• Johnell Davis led Arkansas with 11 second-half points.
• Jeremiah Fears led Oklahoma with 11 second-half points.
GAME NOTES:
• For the second straight game, Arkansas’ starting lineup was D.J. Wagner, Johnell Davis, Karter Knox, Adou Thiero and Jonas Aidoo.
• Arkansas won the opening tip. The Razorbacks have won the tip in 16 of 20 games this year.
• D.J. Wagner scored the game’s first points, a layup in the lane at 19:37.
• Billy Richmond III was Arkansas’ first sub.
• The Arkansas and Oklahoma series includes 32 games dating back to the 1938-39 season. Arkansas owns a 17-15 advantage in the series, including an 8-6 record when the teams play in Fayetteville.
• This was the teams’ first meeting in Bud Walton Arena since Dec. 4, 2012, a game Arkansas won 81-78.
• The last three years, Arkansas and Oklahoma have met in the Crimson and Cardinal Classic at Tulsa’s BOK Center.
• Arkansas fell to 3-1 in one-possession games.
Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.
WATCH-LISTEN: Razorbacks hosting OU first time as SEC game
Who: Arkansas Razorbacks (12-7, 1-5 SEC) vs -/RV Oklahoma Sooners (14-4, 1-4 SEC)
What: The will the first time the teams have met for an SEC matchup, but the teams met the last three years in Tulsa for the Crimson & Cardinal Classic.
When: Saturday – Jan. 25 – 7:30 pm (CT)
Where: Bud Walton Arena/Nolan Richardson Court (19,200)
TV/Stream: ESPN2 / ESPN App (Brian Custer and Richard Hendrix)
Radio: ESPN 99.5 in Fayetteville, 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs, 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home, Learfield Razorback Sports Network (Chuck Barrett and Matt Zimmerman). You can listen at HitThatLine.com.
Sirius/XM: Sirius: 390 / XM: 390 || SXM App Channel 980
FAYETTEVILLE — Saturday will mark a first in the Arkansas-Oklahoma series as it will be the first time the programs have met in an SEC matchup. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. and the game will be televised on ESPN2.
Following the game with the Sooners, Arkansas will not play again until the following Saturday at Kentucky. However, it won’t be a full off week as the Live with Coach Cal radio show from Sassy’s will air on Monday starting at 7 p.m.
NOTES:
• The Arkansas and Oklahoma series includes 31 games dating back to the 1938-39 season. Arkansas owns a 17-14 advantage in the series, including an 8-5 record when the teams play in Fayetteville. The last four meetings in the series have all been on neutral courts with each team winning twice.
• This will be the teams’ first meeting in Bud Walton Arena since Dec. 4, 2012, a game Arkansas won 81-78,
• Border rivals Arkansas and Oklahoma will be meeting for the first time as SEC members and had only met 28 times before playing a three-games series — the Crimson and Cardinal Classic at Tulsa’s BOK Center — in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
• Classic I was on Dec. 11, 2021. The Sooners pulled away late for an 88-66 victory. Arkansas, ranked #10/12, trimmed a 15-point deficit to three with 9:55 to play but could not stop Oklahoma’s hot shooting from 3-point range. Oklahoma finished the game making 13-of-22 from long range.
• Classic II was on Dec. 10, 2022. Arkansas closed the first half with a 10-2 run, opened the second half with a 14-6 spurt and never looked back in an 88-78 win. Arkansas, ranked #9/8, missed its first two shots of the second half before making eight straight to take a 60-48 lead. Oklahoma trimmed its deficit to nine twice but could get no closer.
• Classic III was on Dec. 9, 2023. Oklahoma led by 12 at the half and Arkansas opened the second frame with a 6-0 run. However, the #19/22 Sooners hit a 3-pointer and would quickly push the lead back to double-digits en route to a 79-70 victory. The Sooners shot 51% from the field and out-rebounded the Razorbacks, 33-25, but the difference in the game was Oklahoma draining 6-of-12 from beyond the arc in the second half.
• Last time out, Arkansas was down 15 (48-33) to Georgia with 15:24 left in the game. Trevon Brazile hit a 3-pointer and two free throws to cut the Razorback deficit to 10 (48-38) and to start a 35-17 Arkansas run to end the game in the 68-65 victory.
• Earlier this season, Arkansas trailed Michigan by 15 midway through the first half before out-scoring the Wolverines 57-24 over the next 15:51 to take an 18-point lead (78-60) with 10:15 left. The Razorbacks held on for an 89-87 victory in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden.
• Arkansas is 3-0 this year in one-possession games and each time (versus Michigan, at Miami and versus Georgia), the Razorbacks trailed at halftime.
• Arkansas has had at least one of its top nine players miss a game or not be fully healthy 14 times this year. Most recently Boogie Fland missed the Georgia game after having surgery on his thumb. Arkansas is 12-2 this year when the rotation has been shortened to 8 or more. Arkansas is 0-5 when each of its top nine players fully available and healthy.
Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.
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