Hogs start slowly in Spanish tour
MADRID — Arkansas’ men’s basketball team started slowly in its Spanish exhibition tour, falling 81-75 to Euro Colegio Casvi Tuesday night after a second-half rally.
Arkansas trailed by up to 16 points midway through the quarter before chipping the lead to 11 at period’s end. A layup by Anton Beard and a three-point basket by Daryl Macon pulled the Razorbacks within five points, the closest Arkansas had been since trailing 8-2 in the opening minutes.
Dustin Thomas’ basket tied it at 75-75 with 1:09 left, but ECC scored the final six points of the game.
“Our energy level just wasn’t where it needed to be early on, but credit our guys for fighting back and tying the game,” Arkansas coach Mike Anderson said. “We had a few bright spots from the younger players, but all in all this is going to be a learning experience as we grow as a team.”
Three Razorbacks scored in double figures, Manny Watkins and Dusty Hannahs with 11 points each and Macon adding 10 points and two steals in 17 minutes. Trey Thompson had seven rebounds, Thomas tallying six boards and four assists.
Arkansas travels to Albacete, Spain, today for a 10:30 a.m. CDT tip-off against Albacete Basket. Afterward, the Razorbacks proceed to Valencia for the second portion of the three-city tour of the country.
Hogs vs. Cowboys: Arkansas, one of three Southeastern Conference winners last year in the annual challenge with the Big 12, goes on the road for a Jan. 28, 2017, game against Oklahoma State.
Tip-off is 3 p.m. at Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Okla., for the 51st meeting between the two programs. Oklahoma State leads the series 36-14, with 46 matchups coming prior to the 1972-73 season. Arkansas’ last win came in Stillwater Dec. 7, 1966.
Dusty Hannahs scored 25 points and Moses Kingsley tallied a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds as Arkansas downed Texas Tech 75-68 in overtime at Walton Arena in Fayetteville in the 2016 Big 12/SEC Challenge.
In other Challenge games, ESPNU is also airing LSU at Texas Tech (1 p.m.) and Auburn at TCU (5 p.m.). ESPN has the marquee matchup of Kansas at Kentucky at 5 p.m., following Texas A&M at West Virginia, Florida at Oklahoma and Texas at Georgia. ESPN2 will carry Kansas State at Tennessee, Iowa State at Vanderbilt and Baylor at Ole Miss. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported Tuesday that Arkansas will play Sam Houston State Dec. 22 in Verizon Arena in the Razorbacks’ annual game in North Little Rock. Nonconference opponents coming to Walton Arena who hadn’t been reported are Indiana-Purdue-Fort Wayne Nov. 11, North Florida Dec. 10 and North Dakota State Dec. 20. Previously reported games include Dec. 1 against Stephen F. Austin and Dec. 6 against Houston, both in Fayetteville, and Dec. 17 against Texas in Houston. CBS has reported Arkansas will play at Minnesota, but a date hasn’t been announced.