FAYETTEVILLE — On a team loaded with connections, the most recent one was one of the Razorbacks’ biggest concern in Friday night’s Arkansas vs Little Rock showdown.
Led by former Arkansas All-American Darrell Walker, the Trojans scrapped and clawed to 79-68 loss. Johnathan Lawson, who scored 15 points along with 12 rebounds and 5 assists, led the way.
The 6-foot-7 redshirt junior was coming off a 23-point outing in Wednesday’s upset win at Tulsa. He added 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals with no turnovers in what was a complete performance. His connection to the Arkansas basketball program? He’s the younger brother of Chandler Lawson, who played for the Razorbacks last season.
Of the three Trojans with direct ties to Arkansas, he’s the only one who’s healthy and played Friday. Former Arkansas guard KK Robinson has been out indefinitely with a knee injury since before the season and Creed Williamson — the son of Arkansas legend Corliss Williamson — missed Little Rock’s last game and has his foot in a boot.
A couple other players Arkansas must be aware of are a pair of SEC transfers – Mwani Wilkinson (LSU) and Tuongthach Gatkek (Florida) – who are in Little Rock’s starting lineup. Wilkinson is actually the Trojans’ leading scorer, with averages of 17.0 ppg and a rebounding clip of 6.6 rbp going into the game.
For our post-game report go here: Why the Hogs Can Thank Kentucky Fans for Thiero’s Hot Start + More from Win vs Little Rock
For updates, stats and highlights from the Arkansas vs Little Rock game…
LIVE UPDATES — Arkansas vs Little Rock
Pregame Tidbits
Arkansas big men Jonas Aidoo and Trevon Brazile are not dressed out and will miss their second straight game. They haven’t played since the first half of the Troy game last Wednesday. Reserves Jaden Karuletwa and Lawson Blake also aren’t dressed. That leaves the Razorbacks with seven healthy rotation players and four healthy reserves.
18:20, 1H – Arkansas 7, Little Rock 0
The Trojans are completely overwhelmed by Arkansas’ defensive pressure. They’ve turned it over on their first four possessions, directly leading to all seven points for the Razorbacks. They’ve yet to even get a shot off, prompting a timeout by Darrell Walker.
15:35, 1H – Arkansas 11, Little Rock 3
Little Rock finally got a shot off, but missed a 3. Its second shot was blocked by Thiero and the Hogs’ defense continues to make things tough. It was four minutes in and 11-0 before the Trojans finally got a 3 by Wilkinson to fall.
10:59, 1H – Arkansas 20, Little Rock 9
The Hogs kind of let their foot off the gas, but are still in front by double digits. The Trojans put together a bit of a run, but Big Z drilled a 3 from the top of the key to end it. Ivisic has made all three of his attempts and has a game-high 7 points. Arkansas is shooting 63.6% from the floor, compared to 28.6% by Little Rock.
7:42, 1H – Arkansas 27, Little Rock 13
The Hogs have forced nine turnovers that have led to 13 points, which is how many total points the Trojans have scored so far. All but one of those turnovers have been steals, of which Thiero has three. Arkansas has also blocked two shots. About the only thing not going well for Arkansas at this point is rebounding, as Little Rock has grabbed five offensive boards.
3:23, 1H – Arkansas 39, Little Rock 17
Little Rock switched to a zone, but Arkansas looks much more comfortable against it than it did against Baylor. The level of competition probably has something to do with it, but it also helps that the Hogs are knocking down some outside shots. Wagner made back-to-back 3s (correction: he had his foot on the line on the first one, so it was just a 2) and then Fland knocked one down in a span of three possessions. That’s grown the lead to more than 20. The Hogs are shooting 63% compared to 33.3% by the Trojans.
HALF – Arkansas 42, Little Rock 24
The zone started to give Arkansas some fits down the stretch, as they struggled to get the ball into the teeth of it. However, Fland did get a really tough midrange runner to fall through contact in the final minute and converted the 3-point play. Those were the Hogs’ final points of the half, but Karter Knox had a good look at a 3 just before the buzzer and missed. He’s now 0 of 5 from deep. Fland leads the way with 13 points and 5 assists.
HALFTIME STATS
16:05, 2H – Arkansas 49, Little Rock 31
There were some early fireworks in the second half, as Thiero was fouled hard and the players had to be separated. There was a lengthy review, but it remained a common foul. The free throws that came from that play were the Hogs’ only points until an impressive and-1 by Thiero nearly 3.5 minutes into the second half. He completed the three-point play and then picked the pocket of Jordan Jefferson, leading to a big-time dunk. That prompts a timeout by Little Rock.
14:08, 2H – Arkansas 51, Little Rock 38
The Trojans have cut into the Hogs’ lead, as Arkansas is struggling to get anything going offensively. Karter Knox is struggling mightily, as he’s just 2 of 10 from the floor, which leads the team in attempts. Wilkinson, Little Rock’s leading scorer, is up to 16 points.
12:40, 2H – Arkansas 53, Little Rock 45
Out of the previous timeout, Little Rock came out in a full-court press and Wagner threw it away wildly, leading to a dunk on the other end. Little Rock knocked down a 3 on its next possession to cut the deficit to single digits for the first time since the 11:27 mark of the first half. The Hogs had to burn a timeout when they couldn’t get the ball inbounded against the press.
7:55, 2H – Arkansas 65, Little Rock 51
Every game, Thiero does one or two (or more) things that make you go, ‘Wow.’ During this recent stretch, he grabbed a missed free throw by Knox and managed to put it back in with an amazing display of athleticism. He’s up to 20 points. That snapped a stretch of 6 minutes and 24 seconds without a field goal for Arkansas. A couple minutes later, Fland knocked down a 3. It was the first field goal by a Hog not named Thiero in the second half and it came at the 8:19 mark.
3:22, 2H – Arkansas 74, Little Rock 62
After making 2 of 4 against Pacific, Wagner has stayed hot against Little Rock. He’s now 3 of 6 from deep tonight. However, some rough offensive possessions by the Hogs have allowed Little Rock to hang around.
FINAL – Arkansas 79, Little Rock 67
The Trojans managed to get within 8 with a little more than 2 minutes remaining, but the Hogs managed to close it out. Calipari probably won’t be happy with some of the decisions down the stretch, though. Adout Thiero led the way with 23 points, 8 rebounds, 6 steals and 2 blocks, while Boogie Fland also had 21 points, 7 assists and 3 steals.
FINAL STATS
Starting Lineups
| Little Rock Basketball | Arkansas Basketball |
|---|---|
| #3 – Isaiah Lewis – G | #1 – Johnell Davis – G |
| #11 – Johnathan Lawson – G | #2 – Boogie Fland – G |
| #5 – Mwani Wilkinson – F | #21 – D.J. Wagner – G |
| #21 – Ante Beljan – F | #3 – Adou Thiero – F |
| #32 – Tuongthach Gatkek – F | #44 – Zvonimir Ivisic – F |
How to Watch Arkansas vs Little Rock
Date: Friday, Nov. 22
Location: Bud Walton Arena (Fayetteville, Ark.)
Tipoff Time/TV Schedule: 8 p.m. CT (SEC Network / ESPN App)
ESPN BPI: Arkansas has a 95.6% chance to win and is favored by 19.3 points.
Odds/Betting Line: Arkansas, -21 | O/U 144.5 (BetSaracen)
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