Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Late free throws ice Hogs’ victory
ARKANSAS 92, OKLAHOMA 83
PORTLAND, Ore. — Daniel Gafford barely shot 50 percent from the free-throw line as a senior in high school. The El Dorado native badly missed his first field-goal attempt Thursday against Oklahoma in the second half.
But when the 6-11 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville freshman center wound up with the ball in his hands and the shot clock running down on a crucial late-game possession, he didn’t hesitate.
Gafford knocked down an 18-foot baseline jumper with four seconds left on the shot clock and 1:03 left in the game to give the Razorbacks an 85-81 lead over the Sooners, then grabbed a defensive rebound, went to the foul line and hit two free throws with 38 seconds left to extend the advantage to six.
Those three late shots helped Arkansas hang on for a 92-83 victory over Oklahoma and electric freshman guard Trae Young in the first round of the Phil Knight Invitational at the Moda Center. The spurt also provided a glimpse at Gafford’s growth since arriving on campus.
“Those are good shots for him,” Arkansas senior guard Anton Beard said. “He’s expanding
his game and those are shots that’s he’s going to be taking most of the year.”
The victory secured the Razorbacks a 2:30 p.m. rematch today with defending national champion North Carolina, the team that knocked them out of the NCAA Tournament in March.
Gafford’s free throws were part of a 27-of-33 day at the line for Arkansas (4-0), including a 22-of-27 second-half effort. The Razorbacks iced a fast-paced, up-and-down game at the free-throw line.
In the final four minutes, Arkansas made 9 of 12 at the line as it closed with a 13-6 run to get past a pesky Sooners team that wouldn’t go away despite never leading for the game’s final 35 minutes.
“That was the difference in the game,” Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said.
Gafford (13 points) had plenty of help from Beard and
Arkansas’ other two senior guards. Daryl Macon hit 6 of 8 three-pointers and scored a team-high 27 points, Jaylen Barford made 3 three-pointers and scored 19 and Beard finished with 14.
“They were really good,” OU Coach Lon Kruger said. “They made shots, especially in the first half, then did things they needed to down the stretch.”
It marked the fourth time in as many games to start the season Barford, Macon, Gafford and Beard have scored in double figures. They combined to score 73 of Arkansas’ points, including 22 of 23 over the last seven-plus minutes.
Arkansas needed big contributions from each of them to fend off Young, a McDonald’s All-American who led the nation in assists entering the game.
On Thursday, he was more of a scorer, slicing through
the Razorbacks’ defense for a game-high 28 points in a game filled with quick shots and lots of offense.
“I always say guys got to get out there and make him shoot from them from 35 feet out, but he’s crafty enough where he can get in there and make some plays not only for himself but other people,” Anderson said. “… I thought we actually did a pretty decent job on him but there were times he got loose.” ARKANSAS (4-0)
Bailey 3-6 3-4 9, Thompson 1-2 0-0 2, Macon 7-13 7-7 27, Beard 4-12 6-6 14, Barford 7-19 2-4 19, Thomas 1-2 3-4 5, Hall 0-1 1-2 1, Gafford 4-6 5-6 13, Jones 1-4 0-0 2. Totals 28-65 27-33 92. OKLAHOMA (2-1)
Lattin 4-7 2-3 10, Manek 3-8 0-0 6, Young 8-18 8-9 28, Odomes 2-2 1-1 5, James 5-11 1-4 13, Freeman 2-3 0-0 5, McNeace 0-0 0-0 0, Lazenby 0-0 0-0 0, McGusty 3-11 1-1 7, Shepherd 3-5 2-2 9. Totals 3065 15-20 83.
Halftime—Arkansas 50-45. 3-Point Goals—Arkansas 9-18 (Macon 6-8, Barford 3-7, Beard 0-1, Jones 0-2), Oklahoma 8-29 (Young 4-9, James 2-6, Freeman 1-2, Shepherd 1-2, Lattin 0-1, McGusty 0-4, Manek 0-5). Fouled Out—Shepherd. Rebounds—Arkansas 40 (Thomas 9), Oklahoma 31 (Lattin 10). Assists— Arkansas 14 (Thompson 5), Oklahoma 15 (Young 5). Total Fouls—Arkansas 19, Oklahoma 24. Attendance—11,294 (19,393).