Field Level Media
Jan 10, 2018
Arkansas entered its game against LSU on Wednesday night having won all eight of its home games this season, prevailing by an average margin of 22.6 points.
However, the Razorbacks led the Tigers for a total of 19 seconds as LSU rolled to a 75-54 victory at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark.
It was a much less stressful game for LSU, which needed two 3-pointers from freshman Tremont Waters in the final 12 seconds Saturday to win at Texas A&M, 69-68.
First-year coach Will Wade's Tigers (11-4, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) surpassed their win total from last season. They will host Alabama on Saturday.
The Razorbacks (11-5, 1-3) lost to LSU for just the second time in the past nine meetings in Fayetteville. They will host Missouri on Saturday.
Aaron Epps led the Tigers with 13 points and 11 rebounds, Skylar Mays and Randy Onwuasor scored 12 points each, and Duop Reath had 11 as LSU shot 52.7 percent (29 of 55) from the floor.
Jaylen Barford had 17 points as the only double-figure scorer for the Razorbacks, who shot 33.3 percent (19 of 57).
LSU led by 20 at halftime and scored the first four points of the second half before Arkansas made a push.
Barford scored 10 points during a 22-10 run that got the Razorbacks within 55-43 midway through the second half.
Epps made a 3-pointer and Brandon Rachal hit three layups as the Tigers increased the advantage to 66-43 with seven minutes remaining.
Arkansas took its only lead of the game at 1-0 before Epps scored the next five points.
After a Razorbacks basket, Reath scored seven points as the Tigers extended the lead to 19-5. Arkansas went more than four minutes without scoring.
Trey Thompson's tip-in ended the drought, but Mays scored seven points during a 16-5 run that gave LSU a 36-14 cushion.
Barford gave the Razorbacks a slight lift when he made a 3-pointer and two free throws and they got within 41-21 at halftime.
Arkansas shot just 18.2 percent (6 of 33) and made just 1 of 11 3-pointers in its lowest-scoring first half of the season. LSU shot 55.6 percent (15 of 27) before the break.
--Field Level Media