Razorback sophomore guard Devo Davis (#4) from Jacksonville, AR splits the defense for two against South Carolina Tuesday night at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, AR.

Nate Allen

FAYETTEVILLE - Arkansas lost a since1989 streak of making at least one 3-pointer in a game, but most importantly won Tuesday night’s SEC game 75-59 over the South Carolina Gamecocks Tuesday night at Walton Arena.

The Razorbacks, with Coach Eric Musselman back after a one game absence since last Thursday’s major shoulder surgery, have gone 1,092 consecutive games making threes since Nolan Richardson’s 1989 Southwest Conference champion Razorbacks didn’t make a trey against Texas.

So postgame off Arkansas advancing to 13-5 overall/3-3 in the SEC going into Saturday’s night’s SEC rematch at Walton against the Texas A&M Aggies that beat Arkansas, 86-81 on Jan. 8 at College Station, Texas Musselman was asked about the Hogs winning the game but losing their 3-point streak and about returning to coach one game sooner than expected off last week’s major surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff.

“It probably doesn’t happen often,” Musselman said of no threes after 1,092 games thorough the Richardson, Stan Heath, John Pelphrey, Mike Anderson and third-year coach Musselman’s Arkansas regimes. “But it also teaches our guys a lesson that we can win a game by double-digits without making a 3. It’s not like we didn’t take any or we came into the game and said, ‘Hey, don’t even attempt them.’ When you’re 0 for 11 and you’re drawing FTAs (free throws attempted) by attacking the rim, the object of the game is to win. I had heard rumblings about the record with about a minute and a half to go, but you have to play the game to finish it and win it the right way.”

That Musselman, left at home recovering and nauseated when assistant coach Keith Smart piloted the Razorbacks’ victory last Saturday at 12th-ranked LSU, finished Tuesday’s game he started coaching from the bench was an achievement in itself.

“Saturday was the worst day I’ve ever had and I just made a decision being off the pain medication was going to determine how quickly I came back,” Musselman said, noting he needed IVs because of Saturday’s nausea. “Normally people are on the pain medicine for a week or so. I think that’s how it was (originally) determined missing at least two games. Dr.(Wesley) Cox (his surgeon) cleared me, basically Sunday I guess.”

Musselman acknowledged post game feeling “tired” but always “feeling better after a win.”

South Carolina Coach Frank Martin, his Gamecocks now 10-7 overall, 1-4 in the SEC, had to be surprised by zero Arkansas made threes but wasn’t anticipating many.

Arkansas’ defense and rebounding he expected even as his Gamecocks led, 40-33 at half.

“They aren’t a good 3-point shooting team,” Martin said. “And in the first half our zone and man were pretty good. Then the second half, whether we went zone or man to man they just said, ‘We’re driving the ball, and I’m coming.’ Defensively they got after us.”

Martin cited South Carolina’s 11 second half turnovers showing Arkansas’ defensive intensity as the Gamecocks scoring production dropped from a first half 40 points to a second half 19.”

Fouls affected both teams in the first half. Given the Gamecocks’ 18-0 first-half advantage on threes, the Hogs wouldn’t have closed just down seven in the first half if not for hitting 16 of 17 free throws to USC’s 6 of 10.

For the game Arkansas finished 27 of 33 from the line to Carolina’s 12 of 24.

However, Arkansas’ top two players, center Jaylin Williams, 19 points and nine rebounds, and guard JD Notae, 17 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots, both picked up two quick first-half fouls and benched until unleashed full bore in the second half.

“Going through my mind at the time, if we could just survive this thing and get in to halftime under double-digits, that we would come out in the second half and make a couple adjustments and then play a little bit better than we had,” Musselman said.

Certainly Williams and Notae full-time in the second half helped the adjustments.

Arkansas forwards Au’Diese Toney, 13 points and eight rebounds mainly in the first half, and Stanley Umude, 12 points and six rebounds, did their part, too.

“We didn’t have the edge we needed in the first half,” Umude said on postgame radio. “Coach kind of got on us at halftime and we came out with a lot more energy. Got a lot more stops, got running. Got some dunks and were able to get some separation.”

Arkansas' second-half opening 18-1 run certainly separated from the Gamecocks Jaylin Williams remarked, “One of our problems throughout the season was getting off to a slow start in the second half. So we made sure we came out in the second half with a great energy, great transition and great defense.”

The lack of treys, Arkansas opened 0 for 7 to South Carolina’s 6 0f 13 led to the Gamecocks leading, 40-33 at intermission.

With the Gamecocks but 1 of 10 on second-half treys to Arkansas’ 0-4, the Razorbacks used the game’s other facets from more rebounding , 43-36 and less turnovers, 11 to the Gamecocks, 18, to dominate a second half they first led, 43-41 at 16:09.

South Carolina backup point guard Devin Carter, the surprise starter Martin injected to bring “some personality” to the Gamecocks’ attack, did so with a game-leading 20 points.

However, Erik Stevenson, the Gamecocks’ leading scorer entering the game, hit but 1 of 7 threes and shot 1 for 12 overall.

“I just thought defensively in the second half we played with such more intensity,” Musselman said. “We didn’t give up any open 3-ball looks. I thought the first half we gave up too many threes and quite frankly had too many live ball turnovers that I thought really, really killed us in the first half.”

Other than the 3-point shooting streak, everything Arkansas flourished alive and well in Tuesday’s second half.

• Razorback senior guard Chris Lykes (#11) from Mitchellville, MD drives the baseline against South Carolina Tuesday night at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, AR.

• Razorback sophomore forward Jaylin Williams (#10) from Ft. Smith, AR shoots a floater in the paint for two against South Carolina Tuesday night at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, AR.

• Razorback senior guard Stanley Umude (#0) from San Antonio, TX
   drives to the basket against South Carolina Tuesday night at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, AR.

• Razorback sophomore guard Devo Davis (#4) from Jacksonville, AR splits the defense for two against South Carolina Tuesday night at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, AR.

• Razorback senior forward Trey Wade (#3) from Marietta, GA posts up in the paint against South Carolina Tuesday night 
  at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, AR.

• Razorback senior guard Au'Diese Toney (#5) from Huntsville, AL drives to the basket against South Carolina Tuesday night 
  at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, AR.

• Razorback head basketball coach Eric Musselman directs traffic against South Carolina Tuesday night at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, AR.