FAYETTEVILLE --Michael Qualls rebounded the Robert Hubbs-missed Tennessee three-point try at a tie, got fouled and with 2.3 seconds left sank the free throws icing the Arkansas Razorbacks' 69-64 victory Tuesday night before a raucous 12,753 at Walton Arena.
Though Tennessee, down 67-64, needed a last-second three to tie, superb Vols superb point guard Josh Richardson (17 points and six assists vs. one turnover) penetrated inside and drew a crowd of Hogs when he pitched out to Hubbs (15 points with two of two on preceding threes), whose last shot went barely awry.
"We bit on a penetration," Arkansas coach Mike Anderson said. "So we didn't execute going down the stretch where Richardson goes in and we talked about everyone standing at home and we give them a two. We were fortunate the ball didn't go in but we got the rebound and there is the game."
And so it was,Tennessee coach Donnie Tyndall concurred.
"We had a good look there at the end," Tyndall said. "Josh made a great pass and Robert was one of the two guys we wanted to shoot the ball on that play. That's life on the road. That's a good team that just beat us."
Fittingly, Qualls capped it. His 14-point, five-rebound second half was a key to Arkansas prevailing. He and Bobby Portis each scored 17 points, Portis with eight rebounds, while Alandise Harris and reserve guard Anton Beard each scored nine.
Avenging a 74-69 road loss to Tennessee two weeks ago, Arkansas, ranked No. 25 by the USA Today coaches' poll, is 16-4 overall, 5-2 in the SEC, going into Saturday's noon tip-off at Florida. Tennessee, hoping for its first 4-0 SEC road start since 1982, fell to 12-7 and 4-3.
Arkansas did not take a permanent second-half lead until Ky Madden's three-point made it 65-62 at 3:40. Madden hit a one-and-one, the first free throw bouncing thrice before falling, for a 67-62 lead.
But Richardson scored for the Vols and Madden turned it over before Hubbs' last prayer wasn't answered and Arkansas avoided its second consecutive overtime at Walton Arena, having survived Alabama 93-91 last week.
"I was like please, no more overtimes," Portis said. "No more overtimes."
After scoring 27 points off a season-high 18 Arkansas turnovers in Knoxville, Tennessee forced 18 turnovers again Tuesday. The Vols outscored Arkansas 19-10 off miscues, but the Hogs force 16 Tennessee turnovers and after being outrebounded 21-13 in the first half finished 31-31 on the boards.
"They had 10 points on second-chance points in the first half and then they got 13 points off turnovers, that's 23 points," Anderson said. "So we talked about coming out with a sense of urgency and taking the fight to them in the second half and we did. I am certainly happy for our guys. They found a way to win a hard-fought game against a Tennessee team that has been playing well lately. Donnie has done a great job with his kids. They believe and they are a scrappy team. And as long as you scrap and you play defense you are going to have a chance."
Pressing teams can make opposition look bad. Obviously Arkansas and Tennessee do that to each other combining 66 turnovers for two games.
"They are long and athletic like us," Qualls, a 6-6 guard, said.
"It's almost like they're an all-guard team, a full team of guards pressing."
Richardson led Tennessee with 17 while Hubbs scored 15 and Armani Moore tallied 12 and guard Kevin Punter scored 10.
Teammate Jacorey Williams became ill on the bench with sick-to-his-stomach consequences spattering Beard's jersey and the first row of seats nearby him.
Anderson, on the opposite end of the bench, said he didn't see Williams get sick but quickly knew something was amiss.
"You talk about a coach maybe clearing a bench but I guess Jacorey cleared the bench, because nobody was sitting in those seats when I looked down there," Anderson said. "He was under the weather and I guess he kind of lost it."
While Williams lost his dinner in the first half and didn't return, it seemed Qualls lost his game in the first half then returned with a vengeance.
"To be truthful, it might be that all these games (three since Thursday) we're playing may have caught up with him," Anderson said of Qualls' subpar first half. "Sometimes that happens. He found something in reserve and really sparked us in the second half rebounding the basketball, playing strong and giving us the energy we had to have."
Sports on 01/29/2015