This article originally appeared on November 19, 2013 on The Arkansas Traveler website, uatrav.com.
The
Arkansas basketball team jumped out to an early lead against SMU and never
looked back in its 89-78 victory Monday night.
Sophomore
Anthlon Bell and senior Fred Gulley III hit three-pointers on the Razorbacks’
first two possessions and set the tone for the rest of the night. The team
finished 11-for-22 beyond the arc. The 11 three-point shots are the most
Arkansas has made in a single game since 2011.
“Our guys
really set the tempo to the game in the first half,” head coach Mike Anderson
said. “We made shots and our defense was really charged up.”
In the
first half alone, Arkansas was 8-for-14 from three-point range. The Razorbacks
also forced 11 turnovers in the first half and outrebounded the Mustangs 20 to
14 in the first half.
“(Arkansas’)
quality of play affected us more than anything,” SMU head coach Larry Brown
said. “Their effort and execution dominated the game right from the start.”
SMU
trailed by 16 points at the half and 24 with 11:28 left in the game, but did
not go away.
A
three-pointer by sophomore Michael Qualls gave the Razorbacks a 22-point lead
with just over nine and a half minutes left, but it marked the beginning of a
nearly seven minute stretch in which Arkansas didn’t make a field goal.
“We lost
our rhythm,” Anderson said. “We got stagnant on offense and that transferred to
defense. I thought we weren’t attacking offensively or defensively.”
Junior
Alandise Harris converted a three-point play to end the drought, but the
Mustangs cut the lead to six a few plays later.
“I think
it’s easy to come back,” Brown said, “but it’s really hard to get over the
hump.”
Qualls
said that he credits the Razorbacks’ slump to their lack of intensity over the
stretch. With less than two minutes left in the game, SMU had the ball with a
chance to cut the lead to one possession.
“Once you
get a comfortable lead, you start to play not to lose,” Qualls said. “We were
trying to play the clock, and that’s not our style of play.”
However,
Harris ended the comeback attempt with an alley-oop dunk sparked by a steal by
Qualls. The dunk got the crowd of 8,927 at Bud Walton on their feet and gave
the Razorbacks an eight-point lead.
“I was
just trying to be around the basketball,” Qualls said. “We needed a big play.
When I saw the ball, it was just instinct.”
Harris
was perfect at the free throw line, as well, going 11-for-11. The transfer from
Houston finished with a game-high 21 points and added six rebounds, two blocks
and two steals on defense.
“That’s
what we brought him here for,” Anderson said. “He is a guy that can make plays.
When things get stagnant, you have to have someone you can go to.”
Bell and
Qualls each made three 3-point shots and six different Arkansas players made at
least one shot from beyond the arc.
The
Razorbacks’ three-point shooting proved to be important Monday, as SMU
outscored Arkansas 42-16 in the paint.
After
making only two in its last game, Arkansas made more three-point shots than it
had since making 11 against Mississippi Valley State Nov. 30, 2011.
“As a
team, we put in a lot of work over the summer shooting,” Bell said. “Coach
stressed it because we knew we couldn’t just rely on the inside game. We have
to have people knocking down shots.”
The
Razorbacks were also solid from the free throw line, making 28-of-37.
Freshman
Ben Moore led the Mustangs with 19 points, while junior Yanick Moreira chipped
in 15.
Arkansas
returns to action next week at the Maui Invitational in Hawaii. They open the
tournament against California at 2 p.m. Nov. 25.
