Arkansas basketball tops 100 points but still loses to Kentucky in SEC action
Another valiant fight against Kentucky resulted in a close loss — and a season sweep — for the Arkansas basketball team.
The Wildcats (21-8, 11-5 SEC) knocked off the Razorbacks 111-102 in a shootout Saturday. Both teams shot better than 40% from three and combined to make 64 free throws.
Just like in the teams' previous meeting, Arkansas (14-15, 5-11) played well for most of the game before Kentucky made the result-altering plays down the stretch.
With the loss, Arkansas is closing in on having to play in the first round of the SEC Tournament. The Hogs are 12th in the standings, needing to sit inside the top 10 for an opening-day bye.
Here are four observations from the Razorbacks' loss.
Arkansas basketball just can’t cross the finish line
The Hogs led 86-77 with 8:42 remaining. They had momentum and were moving the ball well to create open shots. It all fell apart from there.
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Arkansas went on to miss its next eight field-goal attempts as Kentucky went on a 27-10 run to turn the nine-point deficit into an eight-point advantage. Meanwhile, the Wildcats’ offense did not get stale, with Arkansas turnovers leading to easy Kentucky buckets.
And in the end, a true freshman took over.
Rob Dillingham closes the door
Arkansas did a terrific job guarding Dillingham for 34 minutes, but the first-year star put the game on ice down the stretch. Over the final 6:31, Dillingham scored 11 points and dished out four assists. Arkansas had no answer, with Dillingham getting to the paint and collapsing the defense at will. He finished with 15 points and five dimes.
Before Dillingham's brilliance, Kentucky received contributions throughout its loaded roster. Antonio Reaves led the way with 22 points, while DJ Wagner had 19. Another freshman, Justin Edwards, scored five crucial points in the final minutes and finished with 10.
Tramon Mark and Khalif Battle carry the load
Mark has been the most consistent player all season for Arkansas. Battle is surging to close the year. Together, they helped produce the best offensive performance of the year.
The duo combined for 28 of Arkansas' 48 first-half points. Mark finished with 23, while Battle scored a game-high 34. It was a signature performance from both players.
Mark made contested shots from all over the floor, while Battle got downhill and did damage both inside the paint and from the free throw line. This was the third straight game Battle has scored at least 30 points, and both players' success in isolation has been the Hogs' best offense all year.
A weird afternoon for Makhi Mitchell
Mitchell had zero points and zero rebounds across the first 20 minutes of action, but he finished with 13 points and five boards.
It could have been an even better performance if it weren’t for foul trouble. Mitchell picked up his fourth foul with 11:11 remaining and didn’t check back in until the Chandler Lawson fouled out near the six-minute mark.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Kentucky rallies past Arkansas basketball to complete season sweep
