Stars shine in Hogs win

Special to The Sentinel-Record/Craven Whitlow SENIOR NIGHT: Arkansas senior guard Jaylen Barford powers to the goal Tuesday during the Razorbacks' 91-82 victory at Bud Walton Arena against the No. 14 Auburn Tigers. Barford scored 20 points and had 10 rebounds in his final home game for for the Hogs.
Special to The Sentinel-Record/Craven Whitlow SENIOR NIGHT: Arkansas senior guard Jaylen Barford powers to the goal Tuesday during the Razorbacks' 91-82 victory at Bud Walton Arena against the No. 14 Auburn Tigers. Barford scored 20 points and had 10 rebounds in his final home game for for the Hogs.

FAYETTEVILLE -- It was all hands on deck Tuesday in Fayetteville when Arkansas needed to utilize its depth to tame the No. 14 Auburn Tigers, 91-82, but the Razorbacks benefited from several star performances.

The Razorbacks (21-9, 10-7 Southeastern Conference) recognized six seniors on scholarship and one walk-on before the game. Following a performance with 21 points, 10 rebounds and seven blocks, it may have been freshman Daniel Gafford's final game at Bud Walton Arena as well.

Auburn (24-6, 12-5) had the chance to sour senior night and clinch its first SEC regular-season title since 1999. Both teams knew the significance of the matchup.

"I wouldn't want them to come here and win a conference championship and cut down our nets," said Arkansas senior Daryl Macon. "I think we all had it in our minds that we were going to come out here and give it our all for our last home (game)."

Macon started out 5-for-5 from the floor and 4-for-4 from 3-point range before he ever made it to the foul line. Fellow senior Jaylen Barford also notched a double-double, along with Gafford, with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

"I think the game was kind of personal because they beat us the first time we played them, pretty good," Barford said. "They had to come here, and it was our senior night as well. We just came out dialed in and ready to play."

Auburn ambushed Arkansas, 47-30 in the first half of an 88-77 defeat, when the teams first played on the Tigers' home court in January. The Tigers handed the Hogs the second of three consecutive conference losses.

Macon finished with 16 points Tuesday on 6-for-7 shooting, and Gafford was 10-for-15. They led Arkansas to 52.5 percent, 31 of 59, shooting from the field, including 10-for-19 on 3-pointers for 52.6 percent, but the Razorbacks could not put the SEC leaders away.

"I thought our guys did a good job of sharing the basketball," Anderson said. "We established the inside with Daniel early on, and we made some shots early. We made shots, and, of course, we started going inside to Daniel, and they had no answer for him. I thought that opened up for our guys, even on the perimeter. We got a lot of contribution from a lot of guys."

"They were better tonight," said Auburn coach Bruce Pearl. "They were much more aggressive. We couldn't do anything, defensively, to disrupt it. They did whatever they wanted to do on the offensive end."

The Tigers hung around with a standout performance at the free throw line, while Arkansas continued to struggle. Auburn was 17-for-19 for 89.5 percent on free throws in the first half, while still trailing 52-42.

Arkansas was 11-for-16 in the first half for 68.8 percent and finished the game 19-for-30, 63.3 percent. The Tigers made 31 of 34, 91.2 percent.

The opening was there for Auburn to take advantage, but the Tigers struggled from the field all night. They shot 34.4 percent, 22 of 64, from the field and made only 25 percent, 7 of 28, of their 3-point attempts.

"We knew we had to play great if we wanted to win here," said Auburn guard Jared Harper. "We had to make shots, which we didn't tonight. We had to defend the high-low, which we also didn't do."

Anton Beard made a 3-pointer in the first minute to erase an early deficit and make the score 3-3. Arkansas never trailed again.

The Tigers often clawed into the lead but were never able to seize control. A 3-point attempt by Harper with 9:15 remaining in the second half could have made the score 75-68. The shot missed and Barford instead answered with a 3-pointer and a step back jumper to make the score 80-65.

Arkansas encountered some nervy moments in the late going as the free throws issues even infected Macon, who ranks fourth in the SEC at 85.7 percent. Macon missed the front end of two different one-and-ones and Auburn cut the lead to six points.

Macon later found Gafford to stymie their momentum, as he did throughout the game.

"Daniel stepped up big tonight," Macon said. "Like I've said, he is a force to be reckoned with. I think he is the best big man in the country. I have not seen anybody better than him when he comes to play. He is the most athletic, has heart, doesn't give anything up easy and he just goes all out. Every time he is on the floor, he goes all out."

"Daniel is a big presence down there," Barford said. "He blocks shots, runs the floor like a deer and dunks everything. He tries to dunk everything. It is crazy how athletic he is. Like Daryl said, I think he is one of the best bigs in the country when he is ready to play."

Gafford had seven dunks, and Auburn had no answer. Auburn's 6-7 sophomore forward Anfernee McLemore leads the SEC in blocks with 2.7 per game but left the Tigers' 84-75 loss to South Carolina (15-14, 6-10) on Feb. 17 with a season-ending injury. Pearl was left to cobble together backup options from smaller players who battled foul trouble.

"We know that we are smaller than everybody," Harper said. "If we get in foul trouble, it is going to be tougher for us. We just have to make some adjustments going in to find ways to keep the ball at the post and defend well."

"He is a monster in there," Pearl said. "He's huge."

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Special to The Sentinel-Record/Craven Whitlow SOARING: Arkansas freshman Daniel Gafford skies for one of seven dunks Tuesday at Bud Walton Arena as he led the Razorbacks with 21 points and 10 rebounds in a 91-82 defeat of 14th-ranked Auburn. The Hogs have won seven of their last eight games.

Gafford had just eight points in 17 minutes in the earlier loss to Auburn. He has now scored at least nine points in eight straight games, averaging 14.4 points in 22.8 minutes per game as Arkansas has won seven of its last eight games.

"He is changing before our eyes," Anderson said. "I think he is no longer a freshman anymore. I think his confidence is really, really high. He has worked extremely hard. He came up here this summer and he worked and he's a sponge.

"He listens, he is coachable and when he goes out and plays against different competition, whether it be non-conference and once we got to conference, you could see the strength factor was really, really big. People are doubling up on him now. But now, he understands his role and other guys understand their roles. You notice now, he's catching the ball with a little more space. He is doing a really good job, and I think he can play even better."

Auburn is left to try to clinch the SEC title Saturday at home against South Carolina. The Hogs can lock up a top-four seed in next week's SEC Tournament with a win on Saturday in Columbia against Missouri (19-11, 9-8).

Sports on 03/01/2018

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