Hogs top Marist, advance to Old Spice Classic title game
Posted on Saturday, November 25, 2006
ORLANDO, Fla. - Arkansas made the Marist guards work for every basket, and the Razorbacks big men responded to a first-half wake-up call Friday in the Old Spice Classic and that was enough to move the Hogs to 4-0 on the season.
Despite shooting just 41. 4 percent from the field, the Razorbacks defeated the Red Foxes, 73-64, in The Milk House at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex.
"I'm very proud of our basketball team," Arkansas head coach Stan Heath said after the victory. "I'm still learning my team, and I like what I'm seeing so far. Our defense was stifling, especially on the perimeter."
The victory advances the Razorbacks to the championship game of the tournament at 6: 30 p.m. Sunday against West Virginia (5-0 ), which blew out Western Michigan, 79-54, on Friday. The game will be televised by ESPN 2.
Patrick Beverley led a balanced Razorback scoring attack with 15 points. Gary Ervin contributed 13 and Sonny Weems scored 12.
Marist point guard Jared Jordan led the Red Foxes with 21 points and center James Smith scored 18 and guard Will Whittington had 18, but each shot less than 42 percent from the field.
Jordan picked up 10 of his points at the free-throw line.
The secret to the Hogs' success was their defense. The Hogs held the good-shooting Red Foxes to just 42. 3 percent shooting from the field.
"Jared Jordan is one of the best point guards in the NCAA," Heath said. "He's tough to deal with and slow down.
"We wanted try to get him to play a little faster than he is used to and to limit Whittington's touches. Patrick did a very good job on him."
Beverley smothered Whittington, who is a deft 3-point shooter, and played him smart.
"We got after them on defense," Beverley said. "We knew they had two good guards and we had to really get after them. We also let our defense feed our offense and that led us to the win.
"I was trailing Whittington all day. I knew I had to go under all their screen because If I went over the top, he would take a step back and shoot."
The 6-6 Weems was often on Jordan and used his height and length on the gritty 6-2 guard.
"Arkansas' perimeter defenders caused us to play poorly in the first half," Marist coach Matt Brady said. "We scored the ball better in the second half, but they did, too. "
Unlike Southern Illinois, the Red Foxes enjoyed a quicker pace, but both squads' defenses kept the game from becoming a scoring fest.
Arkansas also had its problems solving Marist's defense.
The Hogs shot just 28. 1 percent from the field in the first half, while Marist managed just 32 percent against the Hogs' man and 1-1-3 zone.
Marist used a soft man-toman with double and triple teams in the post to fluster the Hogs' motion offense. With it, the Red Foxes effectively limited Arkansas'inside game in the first half.
Weems led the Razorbacks in the first half with 6 points and 8 rebounds, and Stefan Welsh came off the bench to hit two 3-pointers. Ervin also contributed 5 points.
When the Razorbacks did get the ball down low, Marist double and triple teams kept Darian Townes, Charles Thomas and Vincent Hunter at bay. The trio were a combined 0 for 11 from the field in the first half. Steven Hill was 1 for 3 with a tip-in bucket.
"We went O for the half with three of our big guys and Steven got a tip and that was it," Heath said. "We had to get them to recognize the double team and throw out of it. When we did that in the second half, they started getting better opportunities."
In the second half, the Razorbacks cracked Marist's double and triple teams down low by spreading the floor more and making better interior passes.
"We wanted to make their big guys beat us and they did in the second half," Brady said. "Their big guys stepped out and hit shots and that was the difference in the game.
"We play our defense inside the 3-point line, when they moved their offense out, it was not good for our defense."
Heath said better spacing also helped Arkansas' offensive effort.
"We got a little wider with our triangle offense in the second half and got better ball movement with our big men," Heath said. "It made a difference."
Weems fed Hill for a dunk, Townes dished to Hunter for a basket, and on the next possession, Hunter returned the favor to give the Hogs a 40-35 lead with 12: 05 to play.
Townes canned a 17-footer with 10: 27 to play and dropped in a soft 8-foot baseline jumper at 9: 19 to edge the Hogs ahead 44-37.
Thomas splashed in a trey and followed it with another bucket at 4: 25 to give Arkansas a 54-44 advantage.
With the lead, the Hogs played careful but consistent against the full-court traps sprung by the Red Foxes over the final four minutes of the game, closing out the victory at the free-throw line. Up Next ARKANSAS VS. WEST VIRGINIA When: 6: 30 p. m., Sunday Where: Orlando, Fla. Radio: KKEG-FM 92. 1, KEZA-FM 107. 9
TV: ESPN 2
FEEDBACK:
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
