No. 19 Arkansas Erases a 28-27 Deficit With 12 Straight Points and Beats Robert Morris 76-53
Robert Morris led 28-27 late in the first half before No. 19 Arkansas scored 12 straight and won 76-53 at Bud Walton Arena, assisting on 25 of its 31 baskets.
Photo: Arkansas Athletics. Davion Thompson, official roster headshot. Card design: The Dyme.
Robert Morris led No. 19 Arkansas 28-27 after Ace Valentine's three at 5:19 of the first half on Wednesday at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark. Arkansas then scored the next 12 points, from 5:06 to 0:35, to lead 39-28, by our count from the ESPN play-by-play, and won 76-53. Robert Morris never led again. Attendance was 19,200. The game streamed on SEC Network+. Arkansas moved to 2-1 (2-0 at home). Robert Morris fell to 0-3, all on the road.
Davion Thompson started the run with two free throws at 5:06 and finished with 15 points, seven assists and no turnovers on 5-of-8 shooting off the bench, per the ESPN box score. Billy Richmond III led Arkansas with 16 points on 8-of-14 shooting. His layup off a Cooper Bowser assist at 0:35 of the first half capped the run and made it Arkansas' first double-digit lead, by our count.
25 assists on 31 baskets
Arkansas assisted on 25 of its 31 field goals, by our count. Robert Morris assisted on 11 of 19. Thompson had seven assists. Richmond and Jeremiah Wilkinson had four each. Bowser and Miikka Muurinen had three each.
The Razorbacks scored 44 points in the paint to Robert Morris' 20, per ESPN. They outrebounded the Colonials 45-21, including 14-3 on the offensive glass. Fast-break points went 18-8. Robert Morris won the three-point line by nine points, 24-15, and lost anyway: Arkansas made 26 two-point baskets to Robert Morris' 11, a 30-point gap inside the arc, by our count from the ESPN box.
Bowser had 12 points and 10 rebounds on 6-of-8 shooting. JJ Andrews scored 11 with eight rebounds off the bench. Wilkinson scored 10. Five Razorbacks reached double figures, by our count.
The second half
Arkansas led 39-30 at halftime, per the ESPN linescores, and won the second half 37-23. Andrews' dunk off a Richmond assist at 7:55 of the second half made it 66-46, the first 20-point margin, by our count. Wilkinson's jumper off a Bowser assist at 1:54 made it 76-51. That 25-point margin matched ESPN's listed largest lead. The final margin was 23.
Robert Morris led by as many as five early, per ESPN, and led for 29% of the game. ESPN listed five lead changes. The last came on Thompson's free throws at 5:06 of the first half, by our count.
Arkansas went 9-of-17 at the line (53%). Turnovers sat even at 10-10.
Robert Morris' side
Ace Valentine led Robert Morris with 13 points and five assists on 5-of-11 shooting, with five turnovers. KJ Garris Jr. scored 11 on 3-of-13. Darius Livingston scored 10 on 2-of-8 from three. Ta'Zir Smith added seven off the bench.
The box score, side by side
Full-game team numbers, per the ESPN box:
| Category | Arkansas | Robert Morris |
|---|---|---|
| Field goals | 31-62 (50%) | 19-51 (37%) |
| 3-pointers | 5-15 (33%) | 8-27 (30%) |
| Free throws | 9-17 (53%) | 7-12 (58%) |
| Rebounds | 45 | 21 |
| Offensive rebounds | 14 | 3 |
| Assists | 25 | 11 |
| Turnovers | 10 | 10 |
| Steals | 5 | 8 |
| Blocks | 5 | 2 |
| Points in the paint | 44 | 20 |
| Points off turnovers | 8 | 7 |
| Fast-break points | 18 | 8 |
| Largest lead | 25 | 5 |
Half scoring, per the ESPN linescores:
| Half | Arkansas | Robert Morris |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 39 | 30 |
| 2 | 37 | 23 |
| Final | 76 | 53 |
Arkansas held the No. 19 spot in the Associated Press men's Top 25, per the NCAA.com AP poll and ESPN's game ranking. Robert Morris was unranked.
Next on the schedule
Arkansas hosts Central Arkansas at Bud Walton Arena on Friday, Nov. 13, at 8 p.m. ET, per the ESPN team schedule.
Sources:
Related Posts
Down 10 With 4:41 Left, LSU Beats No. 14 Gonzaga 81-80 on Donovan Dent's Step-Back Three
Gonzaga had a 96.9 percent chance to win, per ESPN's win probability, after a Xaivian Lee three made it 75-65 with 4:41 left. LSU scored 16 of the last 21 points, and the Bulldogs did not make a field goal over the final 3:02.
Stephon Castle scores 32 on 12-of-18 as the Spurs beat the Warriors 123-85 for 11 straight
Victor Wembanyama tied his season low with 12 points, and San Antonio still led by 43 as Castle made as many shots Friday as he had in his previous three games combined.
Amari Allen Scores 24 as No. 18 Alabama Makes 29 Free Throws and Holds Off Seton Hall 82-76
No. 18 Alabama beat Seton Hall 82-76 in Tuscaloosa after a 17-point lead shrank to three with 57 seconds left. Amari Allen scored 24, and the Tide made 29 of 38 free throws.