By: Ben Sawyers
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Arkansas Razorbacks men’s basketball team got its revenge on the Texas A&M Aggies in Bud Walton arena Saturday night with a down to the wire 76-73 overtime thriller.
The game was cemented by Davonte Davis, whose overtime and-1 conversion regained the Hogs’ lead, and a Jaylin Williams mid-range dagger to extend the lead to three with seven seconds left. An emphatic slam dunk by guard Stanley Umude—with 1.2 seconds left—sent the crowd into an uproar, and sealed the Razorback win.
Jaylin Williams had a standout performance, grabbing six steals and three blocks, topping his night off with a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double. Williams’ hustle was evident both on and off the stat sheet, as the 6-foot-10 forward affected shots and passing lanes on the defensive end.
Gone are the days of 30-plus point scorers for Arkansas, as the team shared the ball effectively, garnering sixteen assists with four Razorbacks scoring in double figures.
As a team, the Razorbacks lit up the floor in the first half, shooting 40 percent overall, 50 percent from deep and sinking three of four free throws.
That stint would not be indicative of the game, however, as the Razorbacks finished at 36.5 percent on the night. The team could not sustain its shooting from deep, hitting one of eight threes in the second half.
A tough interior defense by the Aggies, illustrated by the team’s nine blocks, led to a diversified scoring spread for the Hogs. Arkansas scored 21 from both the free throw line and beyond the arc, with the remaining 34 points coming from 2-point range.
On the Aggies’ end, 6-foot freshman guard Wade Taylor IV had a phenomenal performance. Coming into the game, Taylor averaged 7.6 points per game. With a game-high 25 points on 57 percent shooting, the four-star commit topped his career-high of 19 points against Oregon State.
The Razorbacks will continue their SEC schedule in Oxford, Mississippi, against Ole Miss Wednesday, Jan. 26.