By Otis Kirk
No. 15 Arkansas saw a 10-point lead disappear and Vanderbilt score 63 second-half points to top the Hogs 85-78 on Saturday in Nashville's Memorial Gymnasium.
The first half was an eventful one that saw Vanderbilt's Ezra Manjon ejected following a pushing foul. He pushed Anthony Black to the floor causing the Razorback to trip over a Vanderbilt teammate with 4:49 remaining in the first half. Black was fouled on the play following a layup. He converted the free throw then Ricky Council IV hit four more at the charity stripe as Vanderbilt coach Jerry Stackhouse also drew a technical following Manjon's ejection.
Arkansas held a 42-34 lead at halftime. Council and Black combined for 31 first-half points to allow the Razorbacks to feel good heading into intermission. Council had 16 and Black 15 in the first 20 minutes.
"Yeah, I just think we've got a lot of guys still trying to figure out how to win on the road, how to win in conference," Musselman said. "I mean, I've coached a lot of games and can't remember a defensive team giving up 63 points in a half. You know, as the game progressed, the competitive nature slipped. And so, you know, you get the results of a team scoring 97 points on you. And a team that scored 63 in a half, you know, we lost the second half by 21 points, so, I would say, from a competitive standpoint, we have to be much more competitive. And for much of the season, offensive struggle has been the problem. Tonight, certainly, defensively was a major, major issue."
Jordan Wright hit a 3-pointer with 12:40 remaining in the game. That was Vanderbilt's first lead since 22-20 with 8:03 remaining in the first half. Following taking the lead for the first time in the second half, the Commodores went on a 14-3 run to lead 73-59 with 7:43 remaining in the game. Did Vanderbilt make adjustments in the second half or Hogs just play poorly?
"I guess Coach Stackhouse would have to answer if they changed some things," Musselman said. "I thought we didn't defend the three. I thought No. 0 Lawrence dominated us off the dribble. The scouting report was no dribble drives left, and he continually went left and blew by us. Taking away the three was what we discussed the last three days, and they made 10 threes. Rebounding the ball was extremely important. We did not rebound the ball defensively like we felt we should. Just a poor second half."
Vanderbilt won the battle of the boards 38-31. As Musselman said, Vanderbilt made 10 threes shooting 56 percent on 18 attempts from distance. Arkansas also attempted 18 3-pointers, but only made seven of them for 39 percent.
Council's 3-pointer with 7:24 remaining was Arkansas' first points since Black hit a trey at the 11:17 mark to pull the Hogs within 73-62. Arkansas never got closer than six points the remainder of the game. Joseph Pinion's 3-point came with 2:20 remaining in the game making it 83-77. But Vanderbilt maintained its lead the final two minutes of the game.
The Razorbacks committed 11 turnovers while only turning Vanderbilt over nine times. That has been a noticeable disappointment for Musselman since his team entered SEC play.
"I just think the level of competition has changed," Musselman said. "Because of that our defensive deficiencies are showing up with each game, and our competitive ... I mean, we've lost three straight games by double digits. I don't recall a team we've coached doing that unless it was at the NBA level. Disappointed with the competitiveness. Disappointed with when a team makes a run, combating that run. But again, we have a whole group of guys that's learning, and we're trying to learn as well."
Council finished with 24 points, three rebounds and two steals. Black added 20 points, six rebounds and three assists. Davonte "Devo" Davis had 17 points, three rebounds and three assists. Makhi Mitchell contributed 11 points and eight rebounds before fouling out. Makhel Mitchell and Pinion each had six points. Jalen Graham, who was outstanding against Alabama earlier this week, was limited to five minutes and held scoreless.
Vanderbilt was led by Tyrin Lawrence with 22 points, five rebounds. Wright had 17 points while Myles Stute added 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Liam Robbins also had 14 and three rebounds before fouling out. He was scoreless in the first half after being hampered by two fouls.
Arkansas (12-5, 1-4) will head to Missouri Wednesday night still looking for its first road win of the season. The tip will be 8 p.m. on the SEC Network. The Hogs defeated the Tigers 74-68 in Bud Walton Arena on Jan. 4. Council talked about getting ready to face Missouri while on a three-game losing streak.
"I still think we’ll be fine," Council said. "I think we can bounce back good. Obviously until the second half after the Alabama loss … We’ve just got to lock back in. Simple as that.”
Vanderbilt (9-8, 2-2) will host Alabama on Tuesday night.