By: Ben Sawyers
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Razorbacks men’s basketball team extended their win streak to six with a wire-to-wire 77-68 win over the West Virginia Mountaineers in the Big 12-SEC challenge.
Basketball is usually a game of runs, but defensive performances from both teams turned this inter-conference matchup a game of droughts. Both teams had multiple scoreless two-minute periods throughout the game, which were frequently broken at the charity stripe.
In the four games prior, Arkansas averaged 22.25 free throw attempts. In Saturday’s game, the Hogs drew 28 personal fouls, leading to 34 foul line attempts and 28 makes. On the other end of the court, the Mountaineers knocked down 15 of their 21 attempts.
A strong paint presence on both ends pushed the Hogs over the top. For one, the Razorbacks grabbed 44 boards to the Mountaineers 26. Additionally, Arkansas scored 36 points in the paint to West Virginia’s 26.
The victory was a team effort for the Razorbacks with four players scoring in double-digits.
The star performer for the Hogs was Au’Diese Toney with a game-high 19 points. Included in Toney’s 75% shooting night from the field were two big plays: a put-back slam with 10.8 seconds left in the first half and an alley-oop slam off a Trey Wade assist. In his 38 minutes played, the guard also grabbed seven boards.
Senior guard, JD Notae, shot an even 75% from the floor in his 15-point performance. The reigning SEC Sixth Man of the Year also dished out 2 assists and snagged a steal.
Despite shooting 23%, reigning SEC Player of the Week, Jaylin Williams, continues his solid run with a 12-point, 15-rebound double-double. The Fort Smith native’s 15 boards were a game-high. Williams also grabbed half of the team’s steals on the game.
After a scoreless performance against Ole Miss, senior guard, Stanley Umude, bounced back scoring 12 points on 44% shooting.
Arkansas joined five other SEC programs in wins over Big 12 rivals, including an 80-62 victory for No.12 Kentucky over No.5 Kansas. With six out of ten games won, the SEC won this year’s challenge.
The Razorbacks head down to Athens, Georgia, to continue their conference schedule against the Georgia Bulldogs Wednesday, Feb. 2. The game between Hogs and Dogs will tip-off at 6 p.m. on ESPNU.
