Hogs put on show at home
Arkansas’ two players from Little Rock provided a spark for the home crowd Saturday night.
Freshman forward Bobby Portis had a team-high 15 points and six rebounds and junior forward Alandise Harris added 10 points and six rebounds in Arkansas’ 72-60 victory over South Alabama.
Portis lit up the hometown crowd late in the first half by scoring nine consecutive points in a span of 2:30 during an 11-0 run.
“It was a great feeling when they called my name out,” Portis said. “I was so pumped up at the beginning of the game.”
Portis powered in down the left baseline to open the blitz, scored on a layup off a pass from Mardracus Wade, then hit a threepointer from the top of the key, all in a stretch of 1:37. A minute later, he faked a pass to approaching teammate Anthlon Bell on the left wing, causing his defender to stop just long enough for Portis to charge past him for a layup.
The streak helped Arkansas break away from a 21-18 lead to a 34-22 advantage.
Harris was in a hurry to impress his hometown fans after checking in at the 14:45 mark. He quickly began trying to power his way to the rim but missed a shot on one possession, committed a turnover, then was charged with a foul while battling for an offensive rebound.
Harris finally settled in, converting a three-point play after driving to the basket, then hitting a three-point shot.
“I wouldn’t say I was forcing it,” Harris said. “I just feel I was being aggressive like [Coach Mike Anderson] told me to be. It’s either going to be a foul or I go score.”