Mitchell Breaks Out Just in Time to Prevent Hogs' Collapse

Jalen Graham recovers from injuries with best game of season in North Little Rock

Author:
Daniel Shi
Publish date:
Dec 16, 2023 8:55 PM EST

In this story:

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Despite leading by 20 in the second half and a much higher shooting percentage from the floor, no Arkansas win would be complete without some drama. The Lipscomb Bisons used a variety of jumpers and layups to go on a 19-2 run to trim the lead to just a solitary point with 3:55 left. Only a frantic comeback saved a win for the Razorbacks.

Having gone nearly 7 minutes only scoring two points, back-to-to-back shots inside from Makhi Mitchell kept the Razorbacks in front. Mitchell finished the night with 12 points and 6-for-6 from the floor. After the Hogs committed their eighth turnover of the half, a long review on a goal-tending call as Jeremiah Davenport went up from block was upheld to hold the lead at one.

"Should have clock-managed better," coach Eric Musselman said. "Again, you think with a veteran team you’ll be able to get good shots on goal. That wasn’t the case tonight. Got to get a lot better in so many areas."

Razorbacks' Jeremiah Davenport against Lipscomb — Arkansas Razorbacks forward Jeremiah Davenport goes for a shot against the Lipscomb Bisons on Saturday at Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock, Ark.
Ted McClenning / allHOGS Images

Davonte "Davis" went racing up the floor with the lead under 40 seconds and hung in the air and made a tough layup to stretch the lead back to three. Lipscomb had two shots in the final 30 seconds after Layden Blocker missed the front end of a one-and-one to ice the game. Owen McCormack missed both shots as the Hogs did not come to grips with disaster as they sneaked out of North Little Rock with a 69-66 win.

The Razorbacks are clearly still looking for answers. Tramon Mark was at a loss for words post-game when asked what the identity of the team was.

"Personality or identity," Mark said. "Umm … I don’t have an answer for that right now."

Before nearly folding like a house of cards, Musselman had a trick up his sleeve, giving sophomore guard Joseph Pinion his first start in 33 games in a Razorback uniform across two seasons. Despite only playing 33 minutes across seven games this year, it's the clearest indication that Musselman is looking for rotation answers, especially at the guard position.

Simmons Bank Arena would have its own trick, with the lights going out just before tipping off, but both teams opted to soldier on. The Razorbacks started far more efficiently from the field. Still coming back from a nasty fall in the Bahamas, Mark took advantage of a Lipscomb zone defense that allowed him to spot up from three. Three triples, including one from the top of the key, gave Mark 15 of his 17 points in the first half to lead all scorers.

The Hogs started 15-for-23 from the floor, including a layup from Keyon Menifield for his first basket in the Razorback uniform (he was just granted an NCAA waiver for immediate eligibility) to push the lead to 35-25.

Arkansas did a good job holding a high-volume triples team (25 attempts per game) until back-to-back triples suddenly cut the lead back down to four with an 8-0 run. The Hogs used a clean inbounds play for a Mark layup to push the lead back up to eight before halftime, 41-33.

The Razorbacks continued their efficient shooting with suffocating defense and came out on the half on an 18-6 spurt to explode the lead to 20. Jalen Graham also had a good game. 12 points on 5-for-6 from the floor and two blocks. An impressive sequence of a jumper in the paint, followed by a block on the other end looked to have set the Hogs up in good position up 16 with 13:30 left to go.

The Razorback fans of Central Arkansas were in for a shock horror. After not making a three for the first 10 minutes of the first half, Back-to-back threes from Will Pruitt and McCormack suddenly gave the Bisons life. The Bisons slowly worked their way back into the game. Driving inside and not committing fouls and holding the Hogs to a season-low eight free throw attempts.

The Razorbacks' next chance to play a more complete game is against Abilene Christian Dec. 20 back inside Bud Walton Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on SEC Network and fuboTV.