COLLEGE MEN : Hogs gut out victory in OT
Posted on Friday, November 24, 2006
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Testy, early-season challenges for teams in transition usually follow a familiar script.
Team searching for identity learns valuable lessons but loses game.
Arkansas, a basketball team trying to find itself, learned a few lessons and still won its first major trial, toughing out a 61-53 overtime victory against Southern Illinois in the Old Spice Challenge.
Thorny defense that strengthened as the game wore on and clutch free throws allowed the Razorbacks (3-0 ) to fend off the Salukis (2-1 ) before a Thanksgiving Day crowd of 1, 050 in The Milk House at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex.
The victory sends Arkansas into a game today against Marist (3-1 ), a 63-56 winner over Minnesota.
“To do what we did says a lot about our character,” said Charles Thomas, who led Arkansas with 16 points.
“We showed a lot of guts,” Razorbacks Coach Stan Heath said.
And turnovers. Arkansas committed 24 and forced 23. It did not allow a field goal in the final two minutes of regulation and shut out Southern Illinois in overtime.
The Hogs made only one field goal in the final 12 minutes of regulation and overtime but converted 14 consecutive free throws to win the kind of game that eluded them more often than not last season. That team went 6-8 in games decided by five points or fewer, including a 59-55 NCAA Tournament loss to Bucknell.
Subtract three guards who were career 1, 000-point scorers and the prospects of winning close games early this season didn’t seem promising.
Southern Illinois of the Missouri Valley Conference was the established team with its top eight players returning, including two senior guards. The program has reached the NCAA Tournament five consecutive years.
To see his team commit so many turnovers surprised Coach Chris Lowery. The Salukis averaged 14. 3 turnovers last season and never lost more than 20 in a game.
Point guard Bryan Mullins (nine ) and guard Tony Young (seven ) accounted for 70 percent of the Southern Illinois turnovers, and many of the lost balls turned into fast-break points for Arkansas.
“Their athleticism is phenomenal,” Lowery said of Arkansas. “They’re very big. Our point guard doesn’t turn it over like that usually. They sped him up and they really made him make decisions on the fly.”
Everything the Salukis did defensively took advantage of Arkansas’ inexperienced backcourt, rattling the Hogs so much that they didn’t get a shot off for nearly three minutes to start the game, and that was an air ball. Young, Mullins and Jamaal Tatum hawked and harassed Arkansas’ guards relentlessly, giving point guard Gary Ervin special attention.
It worked, too. Barely five minutes had elapsed when Arkansas committed its ninth turnover, putting it on a pace to finish with 64. Southern Illinois led by nine midway through the first half and the Razorbacks looked completely out of whack.
Then they settled down, started taking better care of the ball and cranked up their own defense. They trailed just 26-24 at halftime.
“I thought for the first time with a new team coming out to Disney World and the whole environment, everybody came out with a little bit of jitters,” Beverley said. “We had to respond and gut up like we did in the first half.”
Southern Illinois led by five with less than two minutes to play when the game changed significantly in two ways. Arkansas, which had made only 6 of 12 free throws to that point, started knocking them down, and the Salukis’ two big men, Matt Shaw and Randal Falker, fouled out.
That allowed Arkansas to drive more aggressively on offense, leading to fouls and free throws, and to concentrate even more of its defense on SIU’s guards.
Ervin made two free throws with 15. 5 seconds left to put Arkansas ahead 53-52. Tatum made 1 of 2 to tie it with 7. 4 seconds, and Beverley’s contested threepointer missed at the buzzer.
In overtime, Arkansas forced four turnovers and hounded SIU into three missed shots.
The Razorbacks kept taking the ball inside. It led to an Ervin bucket and six free throws.
“I thought our guys grew up,” said Ervin, who offset his 7 turnovers with 12 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists.
Nothing about the first two games — 26 of 42 (. 618 ) — suggested Arkansas had a free throw surge coming. Sometimes there is no explaining cold streaks, but Thomas offered a simple explanation for Thursday’s hot finish.
“Either we lose or we make the free throws,” he said. WESTERN MICHIGAN 71, VIRGINIA TECH 68
Michael Redell made two free throws with 52 seconds remaining to put Western Michigan ahead for good, and the Broncos held for a victory over Virginia Tech.
Redell and Joe Reitz each scored 17 points and were a combined 18 for 22 from the free-throw line for Western Michigan (2-2 ). Redell’s last two gave the Broncos a 69-68 lead, and Andrew Ricks added two free throws for the final margin.
Virginia Tech’s A. D. Vassallo missed 3 three-point attempts in the closing seconds, the last one at the buzzer. The Hokies (2-1 ) also turned the ball over on one possession, trying to get it to Vassallo with a chance to tie it. WEST VIRGINIA 73, MONTANA 56
Frank Young scored 21 points and Joe Alexander had 18 to lead West Virginia (4-0 ) to a victory over Montana (1-3 ).
The Mountaineers shot 52 percent in the second half, building a seven-point halftime lead into a 25-point advantage. Young made 3 three-pointers and had a tip-in during the surge that broke open the game.
Andrew Strait led Montana with 14 points. MARIST 63, MINNESOTA 56
James Smith scored 16 points and Will Whittington added 14, leading Marist to victory over Minnesota in the Old Spice Classic at Disney World.
Smith also had 13 rebounds as Marist (3-1 ) held on after Minnesota (2-2 ) trimmed a 13-point deficit to two early in the second half.
Smith’s basket started a 13-5 spurt that turned a 35-33 edge into a 48-38 advantage.
Minnesota made one more run, but couldn’t get closer than three the rest of the way. Smith made a layup and two free throws to put Marist up 52-45 with seven minutes left, then Ryan Stilphen made a pair of key baskets to keep Minnesota from getting close down the stretch.
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