Fast Start Carries Arkansas Past Radford 75-55
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – If there were any lingering effects from the long trip back from Maui this week, it didn’t show on Saturday as Arkansas took care of Radford, 75-55, in Bud Walton Arena.
Playing two days after returning from three tough games in three days against No. 3 Connecticut, Kansas and No. 23 Maryland in Maui, the Razorbacks got off to a quick start and never looked back.
Arkansas (3-2) scored the game’s first 10 points, four by Jonathon Modica, before the 15-minute mark.
A three by RU’s Whit Holcomb-Faye got the Highlanders within 14-7, but a 10-3 Hog run, including four points each from Modica and Charles Thomas, gave Arkansas a 24-10 lead with 5:43 left in the period.
A three by Reggie McIntyre pulled Radford within 26-16, but UA closed the half with a 5-0 run to lead 33-16 at the break.
In the second half, Arkansas led by as much as 28, 64-36 on a Modica layup with 9:01 to play. The Highlanders never got closer than 17.
Head coach Stan Heath substituted freely to rest his players as much as possible. All 12 players saw action with nine playing a minimum of 14 minutes. Ronnie Brewer got the most work with 29 minutes while Modica logged 26 minutes and Dontell Jefferson 25.
With players rotating in and out, the Razorbacks were able to stay fresh and scored 29 points in transition.
The Razorbacks didn’t shoot great, hitting 14-of-30 shots in the first half (.467) and 29-of-62 for the game (.469), but dominated everywhere else. The Hogs limited Radford to 29.7 percent shooting (16-65), won the rebounding battle 46-42 after a commanding 26-14 halftime edge, and had 22 assists and 11 steals while RU totaled eight assists and six steals with 12 turnovers.
Modica made nine-of-17 shots and finished with a game-high 22 points. After scoring three points in 17 minutes in the first half, Brewer added 13 more in 12 minutes in the second period to end with 16. He also had five assists and three steals with no turnovers. Thomas was four-of-four from the field and four-of-six at the line for 12 points, and he matched Darian Townes, who had eight points, with a team-leading seven rebounds.
Holcomb-Faye led Radford with 18 points while Chris Oliver, who had a game-high 15 rebounds, added 13.
Arkansas plays host to Southern Mississippi Wednesday at 8:06 p.m. in a game being televised by FSN.
Download: radford box.pdf
