Veterans lead way for Hogs
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas seniors Dusty Hannahs and Moses Kingsley heated up in the second half and helped the Razorbacks pull away for a 78-62 victory over Stephen F. Austin on Thursday night before an announced crowd of 4,705 in Walton Arena.
Hannahs and Kingsley combined to finish with 27 points after being held to six in the first half when the Razorbacks struggled to a 34-28 lead.
Hannahs, a 6-3 guard, led the Razorbacks (5-1) with 15 points, including 11 in the second half. He was
5 of 9 from the field — with all five baskets coming on drives — and 5 of 5 from the freethrow line.
Kingsley, a 6-10 center, had 12 points — 10 in the second half — along with 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.
Stephen F. Austin Coach Kyle Keller saw Hannahs and Kingsley twice last season when he was an assistant coach at Texas A&M and the Aggies went 1-1 against the Razorbacks. Kingsley scored 18 points and Hannahs 17 when Arkansas beat No. 5 Texas A&M 74-71 in Walton Arena.
“Kingsley and Hannahs on the same side, I don’t know who’s as good in the SEC than those two cats,” Keller said.
Arkansas outscored Stephen F. Austin 23-10 to open the second half, including seven points each by Hannahs and Kingsley, to take a 57-38 lead with 11:32 left.
“I thought we got punched in the mouth to start the second half and we never responded,” Keller said. “That’s a typical 40 minutes of heck basketball team, and they just kept coming at us.”
Hannahs said the Razorbacks talked at halftime about starting the second half with energy after the Lumberjacks closed the second half on a 10-5 run.
“We started off the game great and then kind of got lethargic,” Hannahs said. “We let them get back in the game and have some hope.
“We needed to get out there and cut off their hope and make a run. That’s what we did.”
Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said Hannahs and Kingsley did a good job of playing relaxed.
“I thought they didn’t try to go get the game,” Anderson said. “That’s the one thing you can’t do, where you start forcing and pressing.
“In the second half, they let the game come to them, and we were in attack mode. We were shooting free throws early and often.”
Hannahs started the Razorbacks’ decisive run with two free throws, Kingsley scored on a rebound, and Hannahs hit a driving basket to put Arkansas ahead 42-28.
Hannahs had an assist on a three-point play by Kingsley that made it 47-31. Hannahs then got a three-point play for a 54-36 Arkansas lead.
The Razorbacks led by as many as 23 points, 76-53, after another three-point play by Kingsley with 3:15 left.
Hannahs was 0 of 2 on three-pointers, but he found other ways to affect the game.
“Hannahs does so many things,” Keller said. “He’s underrated as a defender because he’s got some smarts and savvy about him. Nobody think he’s really tough, but he’s got some grittiness about him.
Anderson said Hannahs got good looks on his missed shots.
“They’re playing him hard, so he’s getting to the basket and the free-throw line,” Anderson said. “He’s showing his versatility and scoring in different ways.”
Razorbacks junior forward Dustin Thomas and junior guard Anton Beard each scored nine points, and senior guard Manny Watkins and junior guard Jaylen Barford each scored eight.
Watkins led the Razorbacks with seven rebounds, and Anderson said he had 10 of their 37 deflections on defense.
The Razorbacks forced turnovers or missed shots by the Lumberjacks on seven of their first eight second-half possessions.
“I thought our defense was
really the difference in this game, especially in the second half,” Anderson said. “It created some opportunities for us.”
Junior guard Ivan Canete led Stephen F. Austin (2-3) with 14 points. Freshman guard Kevon Harris added 11 points.
“Good win against a gritty team,” Anderson said. “Their kids refused to go away.”