Field Level Media
Dec 22, 2018
Mason Jones scored 21 points, including seven in just over a minute in the second half, as Arkansas held off visiting Texas State 73-70 in Fayetteville, Ark., on Saturday.
Daniel Gafford scored 19 points and added 10 rebounds, and Jalen Harris and Isaiah Joe chipped in 10 points apiece for the Razorbacks (8-3).
Tre'Larenz Nottingham scored 18 points and Nijal Pearson added 16 points, including 14 in the second half, in a losing effort for the Bobcats (10-2). Jaylen Shead scored 14 points, but Texas State made only 8 of 21 free throws and had its eight-game winning streak snapped.
Down 34-27 at the half, Texas State eventually tied the game at 38 on a 3-pointer from Pearson, and the Bobcats stayed within reach the rest of the way.
Jones' three-point play with 5:14 to go widened the Razorbacks' lead to 56-51, and he added four free throws as the lead grew to 60-53 with 4:12 to go. Gafford hit two free throws to extend the lead 65-56 with 3:05 to play.
Nottingham hit a 3-pointer with 1:02 to trim the deficit to 66-61, but Arkansas made seven of its final 10 free throws, including 5 of 6 from Joe. The Razorbacks made 25 of 35 free throws for the game.
Late 3-pointers from Pearson and Shead and a layup from Alonzo Sule made it close before time ran out on the Bobcats.
Arkansas shot 44.7 percent from the floor but only 27.3 percent (3 of 11) from 3-point range, while Texas State hit 41.7 percent from the floor, including 46.2 percent of its treys (12 of 26).
Gafford and Jones each scored 11 points in the first half as the Razorbacks jumped to a 34-27 lead. Gafford added six rebounds, although the Bobcats went to the break with a 20-16 edge on the boards.
Nottingham hit three 3-pointers as Texas State jumped to a 19-6 lead with 11:33 to play in the first half. Nottingham had 12 points in the half.
Arkansas responded with a 21-2 run, however, led by 11 points from Jones and six more from Gafford, to lead 27-21 with 5:14 before halftime.
--Field Level Media