By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – A close contest for the early portion of the first half, the Arkansas Razorbacks (5-4) delivered a decisive blow to the scorching hot Tennessee Tech men's basketball team (7-3) over the remainder of the first stanza, providing enough cushion to claim the first-ever meeting between the two programs, 83-57.
Trailing by 12 with just over 12 minutes to play in the first half, the Golden Eagles used a nice little 10-2 run over the next five minutes to trim the home team's advantage to just four points, capped by a transition layup by sophomore Aleksa Jugovic.
It would be the closest the visitors would get the rest of the contest, as the Razorbacks answered Tech's threat with a 17-0 run of their own to create a lead they would never relinquish.
Having already fought back from 15- and 16-point deficits in their previous two contests, the Golden Eagles refused to back down, despite a 40-21 halftime lead in favor of Arkansas. Tech came out firing in the second half, connecting on 50 percent of its attempts from the field over the first seven minutes of the second half.
The problem? Arkansas nearly matched the Golden Eagle output over that span, yielding just two points to the visiting squad before calling a timeout after a massive dunk by senior Ryan Martin. The Razorbacks continued to match and even out-shoot Tech over the remaining time on the clock, finishing at 50 percent from the field for the game.
Arkansas attacked the spirit and engine of the Tech squad, forcing Martin into early foul trouble that limited the big man to just seven first-half minutes. The other deciding factor in the Golden Eagle loss was arguably the team's greatest strength all season; free throw shooting.
The Golden Eagles finished just 10-of-20 from the charity stripe in the contest, shooting well below their 78.7 percent touch that had the team ranked fifth in the nation in free throw efficiency. The Razorbacks also forced Tech to play more offense from outside the paint after Martin was forced to bench, rejecting 13 shots in the game.
Tech knocked down seven attempts from downtown, including four from the hands of senior Torrance Rowe, who finished with a team-high 17 points and four assists. Jugovic ranked second on the team with 12 points on the night while senior Anthony Morse finished with 10 points, six rebounds and three more blocks. He now sits in a tie for ninth place all-time in Tech history. Martin added a team-best seven rebounds while scoring six points.
The Razorbacks used great shooting performances from Anthlon Bell (7-for-13, 4-for-7 from 3-point range) and Dusty Hannahs (7-for-12, 3-for-6) to collect the series' first victory. Both Bell and Hannahs finished with 21 points. Moses Kingsley notched 10 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocks.
With the loss, the Golden Eagles saw their six-game win streak come to end.
The Golden Eagles will return to action Tuesday evening with a trip to in-state rival and streaking Chattanooga. Tip-off is scheduled for a 6 p.m. CST start.
Photo by Charles Goodin
