Arkansas cruises to victory
FAYETTEVILLE - After dissipating a 17-point lead to 10 in the first half’s final 5:10, the Arkansas Razorbacks in the second half ran the Austin Peay Governors, 99-62 oblivion Saturday night at Walton Arena.
Coach Mike Anderson’s Razorback were second half unstoppable during a 21-0 second half run obliterating a now 4-4 Austin Peay squad that won last season’s Ohio Valley Conference Tournament to advance to the NCAA Tournament.
Arkansas of the SEC advances to 6-1 and hosts the Houston Cougars, 6-1, at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Walton televised by the SEC Network.
John Murry, whose 16 first-half points had the Governors within hailing distance at intermission, finished as the game’s high scorer with 23 points.
Several Razorbacks could have challenged or surpassed him for scoring honors but Anderson shared the wealth to play no Razorback more than 22 minutes with every Razorback scholarship player scoring once freshman reserve forward Brachen Hazen tipped one in with 2:40 left in the game.
It was a big night for Arkansas freshman with reserve forward Adrio Bailey, the Hogs’ leading scorer with 14 points on a 7 for 8 from the field night with seven rebounds.
Freshman guard C.J. Jones scored 11 off the bench while senior mainstays center Moses Kingsley, and guard Dusty Hannahs, with Hannahs coming off
the bench, scored 13 each while junior college transfer guard Jaylen Barford scored 12 reinserted into the starting lineup.
Austin Peay led twice, 2-0 and 15-14 in the first half.
A feed from freshman reserve forward to backup center Trey Thompson, the junior from Madison via Forrest City High, regained the lead, 16-15 at 13:43 and ignited a 9-0 run.
Arkansas peaked its lead at 17, 35-18 and 37-20 but was outscored 11-4 during the half’s final 5:10 to finish intermission only up 41-31.
Reserve forwards Bailey, four points and four rebounds in five minutes, and junior college transfer Arlando Cook, four points, two rebounds and a steal in seven minutes, logged their heretofore best half of the young season during Saturday’s first half.
Murry scored seven of his 16 first-half points in that final 5:10 including a three before the buzzer.
Early in the second half Arkansas starting forward Dustin Thomas took charge with two quick buckets and taking an Austin Peay charge leading to a Barford three and Austin Peay calling timeout trailing. 50-33 at 18:07.
The timeout did the Governors no good. The Razorbacks continued reeling off their run not stopped until 21 that included a rare Kingsley three, now 2 of 4 for the senior center’s 3-point shooting career.