Razorbacks Move to 2-0 with Classic Musselman-Era Win
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Defense and layups, a formula that has worked so well for Eric Musselman throughout his entire tenure at Arkansas, came through once again to perfection in an 86-68 win over Gardner-Webb at Barnhill Arena on Friday night.
Highly lauded forward Trevon Brazile led the second-half defensive charge with four of his five blocks, part of a team total 15. This allowed the Hogs to slowly pull away from a valiant effort from Gardner-Webb. Temple transfer Khalif Battle led the offensive charge with a team-high 21 points including three of the five made threes for the Hogs on the night.
"I thought we did a great job of altering and blocking shots," Musselman said. "But we have to really improve with physicality vertical. We blocked a shot or gave up a layup. So we have to get a lot better defensively. We have to become a lot more physical than where we are right now. But certainly rim protection was great with the finesse of blocking shots."
After a leisurely wire-to-wire win over Alcorn State, the Razorbacks came out lethargic and sloppy. The Hogs had three turnovers in the opening minutes as Gardner-Webb blitzed the Hogs with pace leading to four easy layups to start the game. A wing triple from Quest Aldridge and the early deficit was 13-5.
"They came out ready to play and we weren’t ready," guard El Ellis said. "I feel like as the game went on, we picked it up. We started fighting back. But we’ve got to start the game off way better than that."
Shoring up the defense slowly brought the Hogs to life as both teams started 6-for-16 from the floor. An emphatic block from Makhi Mitchell woke the crowd up from dormancy as the early hole was turned into a 16-15 lead.
The offense, however, remained stuck in neutral, the Razorbacks went nearly 5 minutes without a field goal. Joseph Pinion, a Morrilton, Ark. native, jumpstarted the Hog offense. A circus shot with a defender draped all over him followed by a powerful dunk off a cut to the basket awoke the sleeping beast. The Hogs ended the opening half 9-for-10 from the floor capped off by a Battle layup in transition and a triple from deep as the lead quickly ballooned to double figures after 20 minutes, 48-36.
"I think as a group we’re not happy with how we started the game," Musselman said. "I thought we played good about the 13-minute mark of the first half. We started playing better. I thought we finished the half really good. Sometimes the last three minutes of the half become really important, and they did tonight."
The superior size and stamina of the Hogs began to show. The Hogs held Gardner-Webb to just 32 second-half points. The Razorback offense also continued their momentum from the end of the first half, opting for a scoring-by-committee approach. Five different Razorbacks pitched in with 5+ points with nobody reaching double figures. A trademark dunk from Brazile applied the proverbial coup de grâce with 8:31 left and improved the Hogs' record to 2-0.
"I feel like I’m probably at 120 (percent) probably now," Brazile said. "I feel like I’ve been at 110 for a while, so I feel great."
The Razorbacks will continue their opening homestand against Old Dominion 7 p.m. Monday, Nov, 13. The game will be streamed on SEC Network+.
HOGS FEED:
RAZORBACKS' TIGHT END DOESN'T APPEAR TO BE RETURNING TO ACTION THIS SEASON
BEHIND ENEMY LINES: AUBURN REPORTER ON WHERE THINGS ARE WITH TIGERS HEADING TO FAYETTEVILLE
FRESHMAN BRINGS IMPRESSIVE ENCORE TO PUSH WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TO 2-0
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