No. 13 Arkansas Rallies Past No. 20 Tigers

Fayetteville, Ark. – In a battle of top-20 programs, No. 13 Arkansas rallied from an early deficit at home to defeat the No. 20 Missouri men’s basketball team, 74-68, on Wednesday night. Both teams are now 12-2 on the season and 1-1 in SEC play.

Senior Sean East II led the Tigers with 13 points on the night – making 6-of-9 field goals to go with three assists. Graduate student Nick Honor added 12 points and four assists, while senior Kobe Brown also scored in double figures with 11 points.

The Tigers started the game strong and raced to a 16-point lead, 24-8, halfway through the opening period. A suffocating defense keyed the start as Mizzou allowed Arkansas to make just five of its first 20 shots in building its double-digit lead.

The Razorbacks, however, fought back with a run on both sides of halftime. Trailing by 15, 34-19, Arkansas scored the final eight points of the first half before opening the second half with a 10-4 stretch to pull within a single point, 38-37, just three minutes into the second frame.

Mizzou moved back in front by five, 42-37, but a secondary 9-0 run gave the Razorbacks their first lead of the game, 46-42. The Tigers would square the game one final time at 46 with 11 minutes remaining only for Arkansas to put together one last run, a quick 7-0 spurt, to grab its largest lead of the game, 56-48. The Tigers would pull within three with just under four minutes left but the hosts made just enough shots and free throws to secure the six-point victory, 74-68.

Missouri made 44.4 percent of its field goals on the day with a 6-of-19 performance from 3-point range. The Razorbacks, meanwhile, connected on 48.1 percent of their field goals – including 61.5 percent during the second half.

UP NEXT
The No. 20 Tigers look to rebound and begin a new winning streak on Saturday, hosting Vanderbilt. Game time is set for 11 a.m. on CBS.