Fayetteville, Arkansas – Connor Vanover scored 19 points with seven rebounds, three blocked shots and two assists to lead #15/16 Arkansas to an 86-69 victory over Gardner-Webb Saturday afternoon at Bud Walton Arena.
The Razorbacks, troubled with a poor assist-to-turnover ratio through the two exhibitions and season opener, flipped the script versus the Runnin’ Bulldogs with 23 assists and just nine turnovers. The 23 assists were the second-best total by Arkansas in the Musselman era.
Davonte Davis and Jaylin Williams each tied their career high in helpers, Davis with six and Williams with five. In fact, Williams has dished out five assists in each of the first two games for the Hogs.
JD Notae added 18 points and two steals while Davis had 10 points and Williams added eight rebounds.
The game was tied at 15-15 with eight minutes to play before Gardner Webb scored six straight for a 21-15 lead. Arkansas answered with a 7-0 spurt which turned into a 14-0 run and the Razorbacks never looked back. Davis scored five during the run while Vanover and Notae each scored four.
After leading by 16 (42-26) at halftime, Arkansas opened the second half with a 36-21 to take its largest lead of 31 (78-47).
Gardner-Webb was 10-of-18 from 3-point range in the second half to cut its deficit down to 17 at the final buzzer.
The Runnin’ Bulldogs were led by Julien Soumaoro (20 points) thanks to making 4-of-5 from 3-point range in the second half. Kareem Reid and Lance Terry each scored 16.
Up next, Arkansas will host Northern Iowa on Wednesday (Nov. 17). Tipoff is set for 7 pm and the game will be broadcast on SEC Network Plus.
