Hogs Use Second Half To Blow Out Vanderbilt

The first half was bad for both teams, but the Hogs came out in the second half to win by easily their biggest margin in SEC play this season, winning 84-48 over the struggling Commodores.

Daniel Gafford had 20 points, four rebounds and four blocks. Mason Jones stuffed the box score as well with 16 points, six boards, five assists, and three steals. Even Ty Stephens and Jonathan Holmes got on the scoreboard. It was that kind of second half as the Hogs put up 55 in the final 20 minutes.

The first half was no work of art. Two of the bottom teams in the SEC got in a rock fight, after Vandy jumped out to a 15-5 lead they went ice cold. Arkansas closed out the half on a 24-10 run. Vandy went over 12 minutes to close out the half without a made basket. They only trailed by four at the half because Arkansas went over the last five minutes of the half without a field goal. The last 10 minutes of the first half were ugly.

Real ugly.

Then the Hogs came out in the second half and did something they haven’t since non conference play, they stepped on the opponents neck. They opened the half on a 14-2 run and stretched the lead out to 29 points with about five minutes to go. It only grew from there.

Arkansas pulled away for an unprecedented margin of victory in this one.

The most important thing about the game is that the Hogs now have officially avoided Wednesday Night Sadness at the SEC Tournament. They hold the tiebreaker over Texas A&M and will finish in either 9th with a win over Alabama, or 10th with a loss.