Hogs Hold Off Texas State

Arkansas had a slow start filled with turnovers, but Mason Jones and Daniel Gafford got things going and the Hogs held off a pesky Texas State team by a score of 73-70. Jones led all scorers with 21 points and Gafford had 19. They both got a good portion of their points from the free throw line, Jones was 10/13 from the stripe and Gafford was 9/14.

Arkansas looked to be in big trouble at the start of things. They had several turnovers in the opening minutes and were down 19-6. They turned up the pressure on defense and rattled off 17 straight points to grab the lead. The finished the half on a 28-8 run and went into halftime with a 34-27 lead.

Reggie Chaney got his first start of his career and looked to have some nerves early on. His four first half turnovers led to the deficit and Adrio Bailey started the second half, but Chaney rebounded in the second half and had seven points and six rebounds. He had a crucial five point run on his own that gave the Hogs a 50-43 lead.

The Hogs actually didn’t hit a field goal in the final three minutes of the game, but won this one at the free throw line. They hit 15 threes in the final five minutes and the Bobcats struggled mightily at the line. Texas State only hit 38 percent of their free throws.

Arkansas now heads into a short break for Christmas with an 8-3 record and has one more non-conference game before the SEC play begins.