Razorbacks Drop Heartbreaker at Oklahoma State

January 30, 2021

STILLWATER, Okla. – Cade Cunningham hit a jumper with 21 seconds left to give Oklahoma State a two-point lead then sank two free throws with three seconds left to seal an 81-77 victory over Arkansas Saturday afternoon as part of the annual SEC-Big 12 Challenge.

The second half featured four of the six lead changes and 11 of the 13 ties.

Arkansas went up 67-64 on a 3-pointer by Connor Vanover with 6:28 left in the game. Inside the final three minutes, Moses Moody tied the game, 73-73, on a dunk and Davonte Davis knotted the game, 77-77, with 1:18 left.

On the ensuing possession, Oklahoma State missed twice but got the offensive rebound each time, leading to Cunningham’s go-ahead jumper with 21 ticks left.

Arkansas had a good look at 3-pointer with five seconds left, but it came up empty. Cunningham came up the defensive rebound, was fouled and hit the two free throws to end the game.

Cunningham finished with 21 points, 14 in the second half, with seven rebounds and five assists. Kalib Boone added 16 points and 12 rebounds while Avery Anderson III had 13 for the Cowboys.

Justin Smith led Arkansas with 18 points, seven rebounds and tied his career-high with four assists. Moody finished with 17 points, 11 in the second half. JD Notae and Davonte Davis contributed 13 and 12, respectively, off the bench. For the second-straight game, Connor Vanover had five blocked shots, all in the second half.

Arkansas returns to Bud Walton Arena Tuesday to play the first of back-to-back home games. First up, the Razorbacks host Mississippi State Feb. 2 at 8:00 pm (CT) on SEC Network.

FIRST HALF: Arkansas 34 – Oklahoma State 38

Avery Johnson scored eight quick points to give the Cowboys a 12-4 lead at the first media timeout (15:45).
Arkansas answered with a 7-1 run to get to within two (13-11) and the score was 17-13 in OSU favor at the second media timeout (11:38). Justin Smith (6) and JD Notae (5) combined for 11 of the Hogs’ first 13 points. OSU made 7 of its 8 shots but Arkansas forced the Cowboys into seven early turnovers to stay close.
Arkansas tied the game at 19-19 after a Fastbreak layup by Moses Moody at 9:11 to force an OSU timeout.
Oklahoma State had an 8-0 run, ended by Desi Sills to make the score 27-24 in OSU’s favor.
Both teams scored inside the final six seconds to provide the halftime score of 38-34.
This was just the sixth time Arkansas trailed at halftime. The Hogs are 2-4 in such games.
Justin Smith led Arkansas with 10 first-half points and JD Notae had seven.
Oklahoma State out-rebounded Arkansas 26-15. However, the Cowboys committed 15 turnovers, compared to six for Arkansas.
Kalib Boone came off the bench and led OSU with 10 points (5-of-5 FG) and nine rebounds. Cade Cunningham also came off the bench and added seven points and six rebounds.

SECOND HALF: Arkansas 43 – Oklahoma State 43

Arkansas tied the game 43-43 on a long 2-pointer by Moses Moody and Connor Vanover gave the Hogs their first lead, 45-43 at 16:55.
OSU answered with a 7-0 run to regain the lead, 50-45. However, Arkansas tied the game, 50-50 on an old-fashion, 3-point play.
The game was tied 57-57 at the 10:30 media timeout. Connor Vanover had three blocked shots and Moses Moody three rebounds through the first 9:30 of the half.
Vanover got a put-back and Notae had a 3-pointer to give Arkansas its largest lead of five points (62-57) with 9:30 left. Arkansas also led by five (64-59) after a pair of Notae free throws with 8:08 left.
The game was tied 64-64 with seven minutes left, 69-69 with five minutes left, 71-71 with 4:47 left, 73-73 with 2:56 left and 77-77 with 1;28 left.
Arkansas shot an impressive 58.1% from the field in the second half and out-rebounded the Cowboys, 16-14, in the period.
Neither team missed a free throw in the second half. OSU was 9-of-9 and Arkansas was 3-of-3.

GAME NOTES

Prior to the game, Oklahoma State had a moment of silence to commemorate the 20th anniversary of a plane crash that claimed the life of 10 Oklahoma State players and staff members.
Also prior to the game, Oklahoma State unveiled an addition under the “Eddie Sutton Court” signature to honor former Arkansas and Oklahoma State head coach Sutton’s induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Also, both teams wore matching shooting shirts to honor the late Coach Sutton.
Arkansas falls to 3-4 in the SEC-Big 12 Challenge. Arkansas was won every other year, going 0-4 on the road and 3-0 at home. Arkansas is 1-2 versus the Cowboys in the Challenge, falling twice in Stillwater (2017 and 2021).
Arkansas’ starting lineup was Jalen Tate (G) – Desi Sills (G) – Moses Moody (G) – Justin Smith (F) – Connor Vanover (F) for the 11th time this season. It is the Hogs’ most common combination this year and they are 10-1 in such games.
Oklahoma State won the opening tip and opponents are 6-2 in such games.
OSU’s Avery Anderson scored the game’s first points, a 3-pointer at 19:07. Arkansas’ first points came from Moses Moody, a jumper in the lane at 18:35.
Davonte Davis was the first sub for Arkansas.
Justin Smith, with 18 points, led Arkansas in scoring for the second time this season and first since also scoring in game two of the year (North Texas). Smith tied his career high with four assists. Of Smith’s seven boards, four were offensive.
Smith is 20 points from 1,000 for his career.
Moses Moody has been held to single digits three times this season. In each game, he has responded well, scoring 26 versus Georgia, 25 versus Vanderbilt and 17 at Oklahoma State.
Connor Vanover had nine points, four rebounds and five blocked shots. Nine of his points came in the second half, three rebounds in the period and all five blocks were in the final 20 minutes.
Arkansas lost for just the second time this year (8-2) when shooting at least 33% from 3-point range.

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