Arkansas basketball back to .500 with win over Texas A&M
Arkansas basketball played its best defensive game of the season and relied on Tramon Mark and Makhi Mitchell offensively to pull off a road stunner over Texas A&M.
The Razorbacks (13-13, 4-9 SEC) held the Aggies (15-11, 6-7) to 26.3% shooting after halftime in a 78-71 victory Tuesday. Texas A&M missed 15 straight field goals over 10:32 in the second half, and the Hogs took full advantage.
With the victory, Arkansas completes a season sweep over Texas A&M and is back to .500 on the season. Saturday's loss to Mississippi State gave the Hogs their first losing record in the Eric Musselman era.
Arkansas did all this without Trevon Brazile (knee), Jalen Graham (shoulder) and Keyon Menifield (groin).
Here are three observations from the Arkansas victory.
Arkansas basketball's 1-2 punch provides the difference
Mark has been consistent all season, and Mitchell has rounded into form over the last two weeks. Together, they give the Hogs a reliable duo that can be the focal point of the offense for the remainder of the season.
For the second straight game, Mitchell set a new career high with 22 points. He also grabbed 13 rebounds.
Mitchell continues to blend craft and strength with his inside scoring, and he is now the clear go-to option for the Razorbacks, reaching double-figure scoring in six of the last seven games.
It was a signature game for Mark, who scored a game-high 26 points through tough jumpers and aggressive drives to the basket. He also served as the closer, scoring 22 points in the second half.
With his team reeling and Texas A&M on the comeback trail, Mark drilled a step-back three — which turned into a four-point play thanks to an Aggies foul — that pushed the Arkansas lead to 65-58 with 2:18 remaining.
Wade Taylor IV and Tyrece Radford held in check
Taylor scored 41 points and single-handedly powered the Aggies to a near comeback win when these two teams met in Fayetteville last month. Radford averages 15.5 points per game.
On Tuesday, that duo combined for just 23 points on 8-for-28 shooting. Taylor was held to 11 points.
More: Arkansas basketball squanders final minute in loss to Mississippi State to fall below .500
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Davonte Davis got the Taylor assignment to start, but Davis picked up two quick fouls and spent the final 17 minutes of the first half on the bench. El Ellis, Layden Blocker and Khalif Battle all took turns against Taylor over the first 20 minutes, but it was Blocker who hounded Taylor for most of the night.
The freshman only scored five points in 23 minutes, but his presence was felt on the defensive end. Blocker had two steals, one block and two assists. He unquestionably deserves more minutes moving forward.
Hogs show fight on the glass
Texas A&M is the best offensive rebounding team in the country — averaging 16 a game — and the Aggies finished with 20 against Arkansas.
But the Hogs didn't let Texas A&M turn those extra opportunities into easy points. Through inspired defense, and maybe a little bit of good fortune, Texas A&M finished with just seven second-chance points. By comparison, Arkansas had 19 second-chance points on 11 offensive rebounds.
Khalif Battle provides winning minutes
Battle was a coach's decision did-not-play in the Arkansas win over Texas A&M earlier this season, but he played a crucial role in finishing off the season sweep.
Battle scored 10 of his 15 points in the first half, when the Hogs were struggling to find a rhythm offensively. He pulled down four rebounds, had two assists with just one turnover and played solid defense.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas basketball record back to .500 with win over Texas A&M
