Tye & Tommy on the win over K-State, Pittman on Burks’ health, Clay recaps Bama and more!
Hogs hang on in second half to down Kansas State in Hall of Fame Classic
KANSAS CITY — Chris Lykes made 10-of-10 free throws inside the final 1:46 to lead No. 12-13 Arkansas to a 72-64 victory over Kansas State on Monday night.
It was a good start on the first day of the Hall of Fame Classic at T-Mobile Center.
Lykes finished with 14 points, as did Connor Vanover. Au’Diese Toney added 13 while JD Notae scored 10 points and Stanley Umude had 10.
Arkansas led by as many as 18 late in the first half and took a 42-24 lead into the locker room.
Kansas State, which shot just 25.9 percent in the first half, made 46.9 percent of its shots in the second half to out-score the Razorbacks 40-30.
The Wildcats got to within eight (60-52) with 4:43 remaining, which was the first time K-State trailed by single digits since being down nine (17-8) with 12:26 left in the first half.
Later, Arkansas used a 9-2 run to push its lead to 17 (30-13).
The Wildcats scored first to open the second half and used a 14-5 run in the second half to get to within nine.
Notae made two jumpers in the lane and Toney had a layup to hold the Wildcats at bay.
Nijel Pack sank to free throws with 1:53 left to cut the K-State deficit to six (62-54).
From that point, Lykes made 8-of-8 free throws for the Razorbacks and pushed its lead to 10 (70-60) with 30 seconds left. K-State once again got to within six before Lykes sealed the win with two free throws with eight ticks left for the 72-64 win.
Arkansas will face Cincinnati on Tuesday for the Hall of Fame Classic championship. Tipoff is set for 8:30 pm (CT) on ESPN2.
FIRST HALF: Arkansas 42 – K-State 24
• Arkansas jumped out to a 10-2 lead to start the game, including four points from Connor Vanover.
• Arkansas had back-to-back steals to force a K-State timeout at 13:17. The first my Stanley Umude led to him slamming home a fast-break dunk. The second by JD Notae forced the timeout. Coming out of the timeout, Umude hit a jumper in the lane for a 17-6 lead.
• Behind 10 points from Au’Diese Toey, Arkansas led 30-13 with 6:46 left in the first half.
• Connor Vanover was 7-of-7 at the free throw line and had 10 points at the half, tying Toney for team-high honors.
• Arkansas held K-State to 25.9 percent shooting in the first half.
• Both teams relied on the free throws as Arkansas was 15-of-17 and K-State was 10-of-14.
• The 15 free throws makes by Arkansas is the most by the Razorbacks since making 18 vs Morgan State on Nov. 24, 2009.
GAME NOTES
• Arkansas’ starting lineup was Davonte Davis – JD Notae – Au’Diese Toney – Jaylin Williams – Connor Vanover for the third straight game.
• Arkansas won the tip for the fourth straight game.
• Connor Vanover scored the game’s first points on two free throws at 19:43.
• Stanley Umude was the first Razorback sub.
• Lykes scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half.
• The last Razorback to shoot 100 percent from the FT line (with at least 10 attempts) was Isaiah Joe, who was 12-of-12 vs Tennessee on Feb. 26, 2020.
• Arkansas is now 4-8 all-time versus K-State, thanks to three straight wins in the series. Arkansas is now 1-2 versus K-State in Kansas City.
• Arkansas is now 7-6 all-time in games played in Kansas City.
• This was the first game of the year Arkansas did not have a double-digit run. Its best run versus K-State was 8-0 at the 16:40 mark of the first half.
• Au’Diese Toney was one rebound shy of a double-double, getting 13 points and nine boards.
• JD Notae was just 4-of-17 from the field (2-of-10 3PT) but he made two of Arkansas’ three 3-pointers (3-of-22). He finished with 11 points and is the only Razorback to score in double figures all four games.
• Arkansas has made a 3-pinter in 1,079 straight games, the third-best active streak in the NCAA behind UNLV and Duke.
• Arkansas is now 407-10 when ranked in the top 25, including a 114-47 mark in such games at neutral sites. Arkansas is 16-5 all-time when ranked #13 in the AP poll.
• Musselman is 51-14 when his college teams are ranked, including a 13-2 mark at Arkansas.
Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.
Mike Neighbors: SMU’s scouting slowed down Hogs’ offense early
Finding some positives in 65-58 win overcoming slow start after Mustangs’ being well-prepared for Arkansas’ offense.
Defense helps Hogs’ struggling offense in 65-58 win over SMU
Arkansas (4-1) had to get some defensive help and find a way Monday night in Bud Walton Arena to down SMU (2-2), 65-58.
Junior forward Erynn Barnum continued her strong start to the season, totaling 18 points, a team-high, and nine rebounds in a near double-double performance.
Makayla Daniels had her second straight strong performance, getting 16 points and seven rebounds.
The Razorbacks wrapped up their final game before Thanksgiving with a stingy defensive performance, holding the Mustangs to a 39% shooting clip from the field, including 21% from behind the arc.
The Hogs forced 16 turnovers, which resulted in 18 points, and kept SMU from establishing any rhythm offensively.
Arkansas’ offense was unusually tame, shooting under 40% on a difficult night to put the ball in the basket.
Coach Mike Neighbors attributed that to the Mustangs’ scouting and being well-prepared to stop what the Hogs wanted to do.
Despite that, the Hogs outscored SMU in three of the four quarters and held the lead for over 37 of the game’s 40 minutes.
A 10-0 Arkansas run in the middle of the fourth quarter, including eight big points from Amber Ramirez, stretched a four-point lead to a 14-point lead to finish off the rallying Mustangs.
The Hogs veterans sealed the deal in this one, as Ramirez, Daniels and Barnum combined for 18 of the Hogs’ 19 fourth quarter points.
Game Notes
• Barnum’s 18 points marked a new career best.
• Daniels continued to assert herself on the glass, pulling down seven more rebounds.
• Freshman guard Samara Spencer finished with six points, three boards and a team-high three steals.
• Ramirez finished with 11 points, her fourth straight outing in double-figures.
• Sasha Goforth did it all in this one, tallying eight points, eight boards, two assists, two steals and a block.
Next Game
Arkansas returns to Bud Walton Arena on Saturday against the Bearcats of Sam Houston at 2 p.m. The game can be streamed on the SEC+ Network.
Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.
Hogs’ Erynn Barnum, Amber Ramirez: On narrow 65-58 win over SMU
Barnum (18 points) and Ramirez (11 points, 2 assists, 1 steal) on what they had to do to pull out a close win.
SDS’ Connor O’Gara: Would love to go duck hunting with Treylon Burks
Thinks highly-regarded Hogs’ wide receiver would be fun to go hunting with wide receiver who also hunts some bare-handed.
Wagner coming back for another year with no waiting
Dalton Wagner apparently wasn’t particularly interested in a lot of drama about whether he’s coming back or not.
He is and Sam Pittman announced it Monday, but he’s known for awhile.
“He told me he was going to come back and I asked him a week or two ago and he just said, ‘Coach I told you I was going to come back and that’s what I’m going to do,’” Pittman said.
That helps what he needs to continue in the offensive line, which is experience and continuity.
With the final game of the season being at home, many seniors will be honored before the game. Not Wagner.
“I don’t know about the rest of them,” Pittman said. “Dalton is the only one that said he didn’t want to accept the honor this weekend.
“I don’t know if it really matters to be honest with you because last year all those guys walked out there and then came back,” Pittman said. “We’ll see how it all works out this week.”
Last offseason, Pittman was able to convince 11 seniors to come back. Pittman indicated he would be having a lot of those conversations this week in preparation for Friday’s game with Missouri.
One of those talks is going to be with junior wide receiver Treylon Burks, the Hogs’ best player and currently in nearly every NFL projection as high as the first round.
Pittman has no idea.
But he will have to replace at least one offensive line spot with Myron Cunningham flat out of eligibility after coming back as a “super senior” this season.
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Hogs coach Sam Pittman: Expecting big crowd for Missouri game
Loud and rowdy is how Arkansas coach wants Razorback Stadium for last game of season day after Thanksgiving.
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