Coach John Calipari and the Arkansas Razorbacks (16-11, 5-9 SEC) earned a big resume-boosting win Saturday evening after defeating the No. 15 Missouri Tigers, 92-85, at Bud Walton Arena.
Arkansas started the game strong, as an isolation bucket by Johnell Davis, a Zvonimir Ivisic and-one layup and a Karter Knox free throw propelled the team to a 6-2 early lead. After Missouri answered with a two-pointer, Davis splashed home his first triple of the day. With 15:58 minutes to go, the Hogs held a 9-4 lead.
Davis' made his third steal in less than five minutes out of the first media timeout, but some tough made shots by the Tigers tied the game up at 12-12. From there, Missouri guard Caleb Grill started lighting the world on fire.
By the 11:54 mark, Grill was already up to 11 points on perfect shooting (including two triples). A Jonas Aidoo hookshot make in the paint kept the Hogs' advantage at one, 19-18, before Trevon Brazile fouled to send the game into a media timeout.
Freshmen Knox (six points, steal) and Billy Richmond III (two points, rebound, two assists, block, steal) made plays early, but the Tigers took their largest lead of the night over the Razorbacks, 30-25, with 7:09 minutes left in the first half.
A mini-push aided by another and-one for Knox drew the Razorbacks within two points, but Missouri's relentlessness on loose balls helped it reacquire a seven-point, 39-32 lead at the 3:04 minute mark.
Every time Arkansas had momentum, Missouri found a way to snatch it back. A Big Z steal and dunk was followed by a Missouri alley-oop. A three by Davis was answered with a jumper. To cap it off, Missouri drained a three to close the first-half score at 48-41, Tigers.
The start to the second half played like much of the first, right up until a Theiro steal and subsequent and-one layup brought Arkansas' deficit to just two points. After a Missouri two-pointer, a three by Davis got the Hogs within one point. By the 15:33 minute mark, Arkansas led 55-54 after two Davis free throws.
Missouri started to go cold a bit midway through the second half, but good defense by the Tigers kept Arkansas' offense at bay. A media timeout sent both teams to regroup with 11:29 minutes left and Arkansas down, 59-58.
Let it be known that with 8:44 minutes remaining in the game, Big Z snapped his three-point miss streak to give Arkansas a 67-63 lead over Missouri. Arkansas opened up its largest lead of the night, 70-63, following a Davis triple. Missouri matched with a layup, but Thiero slammed one home to retake the seven-point margin.
With its lead up to nine points, Thiero had to exit the game while dealing with some pain. Then, Knox took an 11-point lead on a Knox floater in the paint with just over six minutes to go.
The Razorbacks found themselves in familiar territory with time draining. Up six with 3:31 minutes left, Arkansas had to put enough pieces together to close out the big win over the Tigers. Things started strong, as a missed three by Missouri turned into a transition alley-oop conversion for Trevon Brazile, which forced a media timeout with 2:30 minutes left.
Behind some clutch free throws, a clutch Big Z putback and good-enough defense, the Razorbacks held on for the win at home.
Leading the way for Arkansas was Ivisic, who finished with 20 points, four rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Davis added 18 points, while DJ Wagner (17 points), Knox (14 points) and Thiero (11 points) also contributed heavily.
Below are game highlights and social media reactions from Arkansas' conference win...
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