Hogs Block Party Enough to Beat Georgia

It was another game where defense propelled the Hogs, this time to a 70-60 win over Georgia. They blocked 14 shots and forced 16 turnovers while only committing four turnovers of their own.

Daniel Gafford sat for a lot of the game with foul trouble had four blocks while Reggie Chaney led the team with five. Arkansas also forced the Bulldogs to shoot under 30%.

In the first half it was Mason Jones who carried the Hogs offensively. With Gafford on the bench with foul trouble for much of the half, Jones was the only player consistently hitting shots. He finished the half with 15 points on 6/10 shooting. The rest of the team had 16 combined on 5/22 shooting. Still despite that they took a 31-30 lead into the half.

Each team tried to take advantage of their strengths, Arkansas forcing turnovers and the Bulldogs eating up offensive boards. Arkansas had a 16-7 advantage in points off turnovers while the Bulldogs led 17-5 in second chance points.

Jones ended the game with 23 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Gafford had 11 and Jalen Harris rounded out the Hogs in double figures with 13 points.

After a dreadful start to SEC play, the Hogs are now 3-4 in conference thanks to an easier schedule and better overall play. The defense is in a very good place but the offense needs some more consistency to take the next step forward.