Alabama
18-6,13-2SEC
Arkansas
18-5,10-4SEC
No. 6/7 Alabama Falls on the Road at No. 20/20 Arkansas, 81-66
2/24/2021 2:35:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Razorbacks use big second-half run, free throw advantage to hand the Crimson Tide its second loss in SEC play
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The No. 6/7 Alabama men's basketball team dropped an 81-66 decision at No. 20/20 Arkansas on Wednesday night inside Bud Walton Arena. The Razorbacks used a big run midway through the second half and went 27-of-43 from the charity stripe, compared to 3-of-8 free throws by the Crimson Tide, to secure the 15-point victory.
Jordan Bruner led UA with 14 points, including four first half three-pointers, while Jahvon Quinerly scored 13 and John Petty Jr. added 12. Juwan Gary also had a solid game after missing the previous two contests with a shoulder injury, going for nine points and a season-best nine rebounds, four of which came on the offensive glass.
After Arkansas (18-5, 10-4 SEC) took a 31-21 lead in the first half, Alabama (18-6, 13-2) ended on a 17-8 run over the final four-plus minutes to trim the lead to 39-38 at intermission. Bruner scored the final 12 points of the half, knocking down four straight shots from beyond the arc.
The Crimson Tide picked up where it left off as it scored the first eight points over the opening 1:52 of the second half to take its largest lead at 45-39. Combined, the 25-8 run spanned halftime and lasted 6:17.
After Arkansas called a timeout to stop the momentum, the Razorbacks answered with a 17-2 run over the next 7:54 to take the lead for good, 56-47, with 10:39 remaining.
The 43 free throw attempts by Arkansas and 32 fouls called against the Crimson Tide were both high marks in a game this season.
The Razorbacks were led by Moses Moody's 24 points, 16 of which came from the foul line (16-of-19).
Coach Nate Oats Postgame Comments
"Disappointing loss. Arkansas outplayed us and was ready to go. They were getting every loose ball and made some tough plays. We struggled shooting the ball out of the gate. Jordan Bruner got us going with some made threes and so did (John) Petty. We didn't shoot terrible from three. We hit 33 percent which should be good enough to win if our defense was better. We have to defend without fouling. We had a season high in fouls committed and a season high in opponent free throw attempts. We can't put them on the line 43 times and expect to win a game. We need to do a better job on both ends of the floor. We were upside down on turnovers, had 16 turnovers and 14 assists. Way too many (turnovers). It was a great chance to win the conference outright on the road against the second-place team but didn't take advantage of it."
Team Stats
- The Razorbacks shot 46 percent (25-of-54) from the field and 4-of-14 (28.6 percent) from three-point range while limiting Alabama to 38 percent (26-of-69) shooting from the floor and 11-of-33 (33.3 percent) from beyond the arc
- Alabama shot a total of only 3-of-8 from the three-throw line while Arkansas shot 27-of-43 from the charity stripe
- It was the most free throw attempts allowed by the Tide this season while the 32 fouls committed was the most UA committed in a game on the year
- The slight advantage went to Arkansas on the boards with 39 compared to Alabama's 38, with the Razorbacks winning the points in the paint 36-28
- After the Tide's 8-0 run to begin the second half, the Razorbacks outscored Alabama 42-20 over the remaining 18:02
First Half
- The first five minutes went back-and-forth with the score tied 6-6, but Arkansas used a 9-0 run to take the 15-6 lead at the 13:19 mark
- The Razorbacks took its largest lead of the half behind a quick 6-0 spurt to extend the lead 21-9
- The Tide responded with a 7-0 spurt to cut the lead to 21-16 with 9:25 left in the opening stanza
- After Arkansas extended its lead to 10, the Tide used a quick 5-0 spurt of its own to inch closer to the Razorbacks 31-26 lead with 3:35 left
- Jordan Bruner drained four straight three-pointers to send the Tide into the locker room trailing 39-38
- The Tide ended the first half on a 17-8 run over the final 4:26 with Bruner scoring 12 straight points
Second Half
- The Tide wasted no time regaining the lead in the second half with an 8-0 run in the first two minutes to take a 45-39 lead
- Arkansas responded by scoring 17 of the game's next 19 points, including holding the Tide scoreless for over five minutes to take the lead for good at 56-47 with just over 10 minutes left
- The Tide ended scoring drought with a quick 5-0 spurt to shrink the Razorbacks lead to 56-52
- Arkansas would go on to shoot 25 second half free throws compared to only two by Alabama, with both of those coming from a technical foul, to hold on to a double-digit lead and secure its eighth-straight SEC win
Next Game
- The Tide will look to clinch a share of SEC regular season title when it takes on Mississippi State on Saturday, Feb. 27, in Starkville, Miss. The game is slated for a 5 p.m. CT tip and will be televised on SEC Network.
For all the latest information on the team, follow AlabamaMBB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. General athletic news can be found @UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.
.png&width=84&height=84&quality=100&type=webp)
