Arkansas used pressure defense and strong starts to each half to race past Montana State 90-68 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on Wednesday.
The Razorbacks took control of the game with a 16-0 run in the first 10 minutes of the opening period, then began the second half by scoring the first six points. Montana State, though, responded. In the game’s final 30 minutes, MSU outscored the Razorbacks 61-58.
“Our guys are competing,” said MSU coach Brian Fish. “It really came down to 29-9 off turnover points. As far as our effort, I thought it was phenomenal. We had 18 offensive rebounds, and that’s effort. We had a lot of guys that stuck their noses in there and got some rebounds and some loose balls. We’re playing these games for a reason, and I know it’s going to pay off. We need to take care of the ball better, and I know we will. This will prepare us for the conference (season).”
Arkansas used its pressure defense to force 24 MSU turnovers, and those turnovers led to 29 Razorback points. MSU out-rebounded the SEC squad 40-34, but shot only 35.6 percent to Arkansas’ 52.9 percent.
Tyler Hall led all players with 29 points on 10-for-20 shooting, and hit seven three-pointers. Ladan Ricketts scored 15 points, while Hot Springs, Arkansas, native Keljin Blevins scored eight with four boards for the Bobcats. All five Razorbacks starters scored in double-digits.
Montana State (1-5) heads north to face Omaha on Saturday. Tipoff is 12 noon MT.
