Razorbacks come up short in second half once again

COLUMBIA, Mo. — With the game tied at 71 with one minute to play, Missouri went 8-of-8 at the line down the stretch to pull out a 79-76 victory over No. 25 Arkansas Wednesday night at Mizzou Arena.

Overall, Missouri was 30-of-40 at the line, including 21-of-28 in the second half.

Arkansas dominated many of the stats, most notably outrebounding the Tigers 42-23 thanks to nine from Makhi Mitchell and seven from Kamani Johnson. However, the Razorbacks committed 21 turnovers which led to the Tigers outscoring the Hogs 31-13 on points off turnovers.

The Razorbacks led by 10 twice in the second half before a 10-0 run by Missouri tied the game at 67 with 2:28 left. Arkansas grabbed a couple of 2-point leads over the next minutes, including a 71-69 advantage after two Makhi free throws with 1:13 left.

Deandre Gholston answered with a jumper to knot the game at 71 to set up the final flourish. Anthony Black kept the Razorbacks in striking distance with a layup and a 3-pointer before Sean East II sank two free throws with 2.8 seconds left to provide the final score.

Kobe Brown led Missouri with 17 points and Gholston had 16. East added 12, going 6-of-6 at the line.

Davonte Davis led Arkansas with 18 points, making a season-high three 3-pointers, and he added nine rebounds. Black finished with 15 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and two steals. Ricky Council IV had 13 points and three steals. Jordan Walsh, who was +13 in 13 minutes played before fouling out, did not miss a shot in scoring 12 points. He was 4-of-4 from the field (2-of-2 from 3-point range) and was 2-of-2 from the line.

Arkansas returns to Bud Walton Arena on Saturday (Jan. 21 to host the Ole Miss Rebels. Tipoff is set for 11 am (CT) and the game will be televised on ESPN2.

FIRST HALF: Arkansas 35, Missouri 34

• Arkansas raced out to a 7-0 lead. Missouri did not score until 14:59.

• Arkansas shot 56.8% from the field, including 4-of-8 from 3-point range, and was 11-of-12 at the line. However, the Razorbacks had 14 turnovers.

• Arkansas won the battle of the boards, 19-10, thanks to six each from Makhi Mitchell and Devo Davis.

• Davis hit a pair of 3-pointers and led Arkansas with 10 points.

• Arkansas help Mizzou to 36.7% shooting (including 3-of-14 from deep).

Game Notes

• Arkansas’ starting lineup was Anthony Black – Davonte Davis – Ricky Council – Kamani Jonson – Makhi Mitchell for the second time this season. This was the starting five for the season opener as well.

• Missouri won the tip.

• Ricky Council IV scored the first points of the game, a 3-pointer at 19:07.

• Jordan Walsh was the first Razorback sub for the first time this season.

• Arkansas had four players foul out and was whistled for 33 fouls.

Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.