Alabama
Arkansas
Men's Basketball Falls to Razorbacks 89-80
1/29/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 29, 2009
FAYETVILLE, Ark.- The University of Alabama basketball team fell on the road to Arkansas 89-80 in interim head coach Phillip Pearson's debut Thursday night. Alabama trailed by as many as 14 points in the second half but cut the lead to six in the final two minutes before the Razorbacks pulled away.
Both teams shot 49 percent from the field, but the big discrepancy came at the free throw line where Arkansas (13-5, 1-4) went 28-35 compared to 8-10 for Alabama (12-8, 2-4). The Razorbacks also held a significant edge behind the arc going 9-21 while the Tide shot 4-17.
Four Alabama players scored in double figures led by freshman JaMychal Green, who put up 24 points on 9-11 shooting from the field. Senior Alonzo Gee went for 18 points to go along with a team-high seven rebounds.
Sophomore Justin Knox had a solid game on both ends of the court with 12 points, six rebounds and three blocks. Junior Mikhail Torrance rounded out the double figure scorers for the Tide, scoring 11 points and dishing out seven assists.
The Tide trailed 38-31 at halftime. Alabama mounted an 8-1 run over a 3:08 period to cut the deficit to 35-31 before Jason Henry knocked down a three-pointer with 0:11 left to send the Razorbacks to the locker room with a seven point lead. Torrance led the Tide with nine points before the break.
Arkansas was led by guard Rotnei Clarke, who scored 26 points and sank 6-10 shots from three-point range. Michael Washington added 17 points and Michael Sanchez chipped in 13 for the Razorbacks.
Alabama returns home to Coleman Coliseum to take on the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday, Jan. 31. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.
