Hogs hold off Aggies, 78-71

BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Arkansas held off a late rally from Texas A&M thanks to clutch free throw shooting down the stretch for a 78-71 win to sweep the season series with the Aggies.

The Razorbacks took a 35-31 lead into halftime but that lead was quickly erased in the opening minute of the second half with an Aggie layup and a pair of free throws. Makhi Mitchell answered for the Hogs with 17:02 left to put Arkansas back in front for good. The lead eventually grew to 10 points after an and-1 from Tramon Mark with 6:40 on remaining. A&M clawed within three points, 61-58, on a 7-0 run capped by a Wade Taylor IV jumper. Tramon Mark responded with six straight points, including a critical 4-point play with 2:18 left, for the Hogs to push the lead back to nine points with the Aggies never getting closer than five points the rest of the night.

Mitchell continued his recent trend of being a force for the Razorbacks on Tuesday night, scoring a career-high 22 points fueled by a career-best 10 free throws. The fifth-year senior also notched his fourth double-double of the season adding 13 rebounds. Mitchell went 10-for-12 from the free throw line on the night, including sinking a pair with under a minute remaining to push the lead to eight. The Hogs’ free throw shooting put the game on ice over the final 72 seconds with the team’s final nine points coming from the charity stripe.

Arkansas’s four-point lead at the break came despite getting only four points from Mark. The Houston transfer changed that in the second half with 22 points to finish with a game-high 26. The junior took over in the final half, going 7-for-12 from the floor, including 2-for-2 from 3-point range, and adding 6-for-7 from the free throw line.

While Mark and Mitchell, who scored nine of his 22 points in the second half, were turning up the heat on the offensive end, the Razorback defense put the clamps on the Aggie offense holding them to just 26.3% shooting in the second half. Texas A&M’s duo of Taylor IV and Tyrece Radford combined for just 23 points on 8-of-28 (28.6%) shooting on the night.

The Razorbacks were outrebounded by A&M 47-40 with the Aggies pulling down 20 offensive rebounds but Arkansas limited those 20 offensive rebounds to just seven second chance points. The Hogs’ bench also provided a huge boost, outscoring the Aggies’ bench 36-27 led by Mitchell’s 22.

The victory was just the third in College Station for Arkansas since the Aggies joined the SEC.

The Razorbacks return to Bud Walton Arena on Saturday (Feb. 24) to host Missouri. Tipoff is set for 11:00 am (CT) and the game will be televised on ESPN2.

NOTES

• Arkansas starters were El Ellis, Khalif Battle, Davonte Davis, Tramon Mark and Chandler Lawson.
• Arkansas controlled the opening tip.
• Wade Taylor IV scored the game’s first points with a layup at 18:55. Jeremiah Davenport scored Arkansas’ first points with a 3-pointer at 17:03.
• Jeremiah Davenport was the first Razorback sub.
• Arkansas swept Texas A&M for the first time since 2017. It was also the last time either team had swept regular-season meetings.
• Arkansas is 108-61 versus Texas A&M all-time. The Aggies are the Hogs’ most common opponent, playing 169 times, and the 108 wins is the most by Arkansas versus an opponent.
• Arkansas trailed the first 12-plus minutes until Battle converted an old-fashion 3-point play to give the Hogs a 20-19 lead with 7:30 left. The Razorbacks led the rest of the first half, including a 35-31 advantage at the break. Mitchell led Arkansas with 13 points and five rebounds in the half while Battle added 10 points.
• Layden Blocker made his first 3-pointer of the season. He entered the game 0-of-11.
• Khalif Battle finished with 15 points, making 9-of-10 at the line.
• Arkansas had eight blocked shots. The Razorbacks blocked nine versus A&M in the first meeting.
• In two games versus Texas A&M this year, Tramon Mark scored 61 points, making 25-of-32 free throws.

For more­­ information on Arkansas Men’s Basketball, follow @RazorbackMBB on Twitter.