The No. 9/10 ranked Arkansas Razorbacks flexed their muscles late in the first half and found their rhythm to open the second half en route to a 71-56 victory over South Dakota State in Bud Walton Arena on Wednesday.
The Jackrabbits claimed their lone lead of the game, by a 5-4 margin, following a Zeke Mayo 3-pointer with just over 16 minutes left in the first half. SDSU stuck with Arkansas throughout the first half and was down 31-27 with 2:29 on the clock following a six-point scoring run spurred by a Luke Appel field goal and back-to-back baskets by William Kyle III.
Arkansas closed out the half with momentum. The Razorbacks went on a 10-2 run and went to the break up 41-29.
SDSU’s Matt Dentlinger scored the first point of the second half on a free throw, but Arkansas scored 11 straight points to put the game out of reach. The Jacks trailed by as many as 27 in the second half but cut into the deficit late in the matchup.
Notes
• Arkansas improved to 3-0 overall on the season with the victory in front of over 19,000 fans. The Razorbacks had four double-digit scorers led by Ricky Council IV’s 19 points. Trevon Brazile recorded a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds.
• The Hogs finished with a 46-32% shooting edge along with a 42-32 margin advantage on the boards. Both teams had 20 turnovers, but Arkansas forced 14 steals to SDSU’s eight.
• Ten Jackrabbits found the scoreboard, led by Mayo and Appel’s nine points apiece, as they fell to 2-2. Mayo had a team-high eight rebounds and two steals. Broden Lien scored his first collegiate points in the contest for the Jacks. The game featured the first instance since a Jan. 12, 2008, contest versus IUPUI in which no SDSU player scored in double figures.
Up Next
South Dakota State returns to Brookings for its home opener at Frost Arena. The Jackrabbits are slated to take on Stephen F. Austin at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19. Tickets for the game are available at JackrabbitTickets.com.
