FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas struggled at the start of Saturday's home game against Oklahoma State and persevered through a variety of challenges in the second half to outlast the Cowboys 66-65 at Bud Walton Arena.
At the center of the victory was senior Daryl Macon, who has started four of the last five games on the bench for the Razorbacks (15-6, 4-4 Southeastern Conference). The 13-point comeback, coupled with Kentucky's 15-point comeback against No. 7 West Virginia, helped the conference take a 6-4 advantage in this year's Big 12/SEC Challenge.
Macon scored 13 points in the first half and led all scorers with 22 points in the game. No other player for Arkansas finished in double figures. All of Macon's first-half points came after Arkansas fell behind 24-11 8:23 into the game.
"I feel like I've got something to prove, still," Macon said. "I still have this chip on my shoulder."
The leading performance came against the team in which Macon had his worst performance in two seasons as a Razorback. Macon was 0-for-8 shooting, including 0-for-6 from 3-point, for zero points in 25 minutes in last year's matchup.
"I wasn't even thinking about last year," Macon said. "What did I have, zero points last year? I wasn't thinking about it. I was just going out there and playing ball. You play in this game and things happen. Sometimes, you might get your average and, sometimes, you won't. You've just got to keep pushing."
Oklahoma State coach Mike Boynton said Macon and fellow senior guards Anton Beard and Jaylen Barford were instrumental for Arkansas. Boynton played down the significance of Macon starting on the bench, Anderson opting once again to start Darious Hall.
"He's a starter," Boynton said of Macon. "I don't think coaches get into that as much. He is a really good player. He plays starter minutes.
"Whether he comes in off the bench or starts, he is going to play about the same and have the same opportunities. Maybe for their team, psychologically, it helps, but for us, in terms of preparation, it doesn't really make a difference."
The Cowboys (13-8, 3-5) shot 15-for-30 and started 5-for-10 from beyond the arc in the first half despite playing without junior Tavarius Shine and senior Kendall Smith, the team's second- and third-leading scorers behind senior Jeffrey Carroll. Arkansas coach Mike Anderson credited Boynton for his te3am's performance.
"They started off the game fast and, even as they finished up the half, it was fast, but I always say basketball is a game of runs," Anderson said. "It is not a 20-minute game. It is a 40-minute game. I thought our defense was totally different in the second half."
Nine players scored for Oklahoma State in the first half, led by 10 points by Lindy Waters on 3-for-5 shooting, including 2-for-4 from distance. Waters averages 8.4 points in 26.6 minutes per game and finished with a team-high 17 points in 34 minutes.
Arkansas trailed 35-32 with 2:40 remaining in the first half, but Waters answered with a 3-pointer. Sophomore point guard Brandon Averette took a rebound the length of the court for a layup to beat the buzzer and put the Cowboys ahead 40-32 at the break.
Anderson said his team's defense improved in the second half. Oklahoma State dressed nine players, with eight on scholarship, due to injuries. Four Cowboys played 29 minutes or more and their second-half shooting percentage dropped to 5-for-22, 22.7 percent.
"That tells me we came out with the right mind set," Anderson said. "Our offense was not as efficient as it always has been, but our defense was really good. Some guys came out and gave us some big, big minutes tonight."
The lead grew to 12 points less than two minutes in the second half after Mitchell Solomon hit two free throws to make the score 46-34. Arkansas answered with a pivotal 16-3 run, finally taking the lead 50-49 on a tip-in by senior forward Arlando Cook at the 10:50 mark.
The visitors were buoyed in the second half by 17 free throw attempts on 13 foul calls against Arkansas. Many of the foul calls left members of the team and those in the stands incredulous.
Anderson dropped to his knees after a touch foul was called on Barford on the following possession. Barford was also called for a technical foul and Carroll made two free throws to retake the lead, 51-50.
"Every game is not going to go your way with the refs," Macon said. "You've just got to let it go. You can't dwell on the moment. Whenever they called a bad call, you've just got to let it go and get back in it."
The teams were never separated by more than three points the rest of the way. Anderson noted the importance of contributions by Cook, Hall and seniors Dustin Thomas and Trey Thompson.
Daniel Gafford ended a scoreless streak of more than 66 game minutes in the first half, but played just 14 minutes due to foul trouble. Thompson stepped in with seven points, six rebounds, two blocks and two steals in 26 minutes.
"Trey is a senior, he is a great leader, his IQ is very high," Macon said. "He has been playing good in practice. Today, he played like he's been practicing."
"His basketball IQ just surpasses a lot of guys out there on that floor," Anderson said. "He is like a coach out on the floor. He makes a lot of things easier for other guys. His body, his size out there, the things he does, offensively screening, his passing, and he had two big steals. I think he had one or two big steals late in the game going down the stretch. All of that stuff adds up."
Arkansas needed both big men in the end. Gafford returned to he bench with his fourth foul at the 5:52 mark, but Anderson said he felt the team needed a size advantage and put him back in late in the game.
Gafford made the game-winning tip-in with 16 seconds remaining in the game. Oklahoma State had two open chances on the other end, but Thompson pulled down the rebound and was fouled with two seconds to go. He missed the free throw, but the Cowboys could only muster a desperation heave at the buzzer.
The Razorbacks finished just 39.3 percent, 24-for-61, shooting and 8-for-22, 36.4 percent, from 3-point. Barford, who averages a team-high 18.8 points, was held to six points on 2-for-11 shooting in 28 minutes. Beard was also 2-for-11 shooting for four points in a game-high 36 minutes, but also led both teams with six assists and no turnovers.
Their free throw struggles continued, making 10-for-18. Oklahoma State entered the game leading the Big 12 in free throw shooting 76.9 percent on free throws. The Cowboys shot 18-for-23, 78.3 percent, Saturday, including 14-for-17, 82.4 percent, in the second half.
Arkansas honored the victims of of the Jan. 27, 2001, plane crash in which two Oklahoma State players were among 10 people killed. Boynton said it was a "classy" move by the home team.
Also in attendance were former Hall of Fame coaches Eddie Sutton, who coached both Arkansas and Oklahoma, and Nolan Richardson. Anderson assisted Richardson for 17 years at Arkansas.
"You could just tell by the tremendous applause and standing ovation what these guys meant to Arkansas basketball," Anderson said. "Having an opportunity to come here with coach Richardson after coach Sutton, obviously he set everything in motion with the Triplets and just the winning way. He helped make Barnhill (Arena) one of the toughest places to play. Sellouts after sellouts.
"So, for them to be able to come and be here on that occasion and, of course, I worked with coach Richardson and experienced that with him. To have those guys here, Hall of Fame coaches, that is special."
Sports on 01/29/2018