Isaiah Joe racked up 21 points and Daniel Gafford scored 11 of his 13 points in a pivotal stretch of the second half as Arkansas outlasted Texas-San Antonio 79-67 on Saturday in North Little Rock, Ark.
The game was tied at 53 with eight minutes to play before Arkansas began to take charge.
Jalen Harris converted three free throws in the final two minutes, and Joe added four in the last 30 seconds to help the Razorbacks keep the lead.
Reggie Chaney and Harris added 11 points each for the Razorbacks (7-2), who rebounded from last Saturday's home loss against Western Kentucky that ended their six-game winning streak.
Gafford took a game-high 14 rebounds, and Harris recorded 10 assists for Arkansas.
Jhivvan Jackson led the Roadrunners (3-7) with 20 points before fouling out with 43 seconds to play. Keaton Wallace added 18 points, and Byron Frohnen grabbed 12 rebounds for Texas-San Antonio.
Texas-San Antonio led by as many as five points in the first half, forging a 17-12 lead on a layup off the break by Jackson with 12:37 to play in the half. But the Razorbacks used their defense to turn the tide, holding the Roadrunners without a field goal over the ensuing eight minutes while taking a 23-20 lead.
After UTSA tied the game at 23-23 on a 3-pointer by Wallace at the 4:35 mark of the half, Arkansas reeled off a 10 straight points, capped by a pair of free throws by Desi Sills with 1:25 remaining in the half.
Two more free throws by Sills with one second left gave the Razorbacks a 35-28 lead at intermission. Joe led all scorers with 12 points at the break, while Wallace paced UTSA with 8 points.
The Roadrunners chipped away at the lead, getting to within a point twice over the first nine minutes of the second half before jumping ahead 50-48 on a 3-pointer by Wallace with 10:24 left.
The Razorbacks host Georgia Tech on Wednesday. UTSA heads home for a contest on Monday against Bethany College (Kansas), an NAIA opponent.
--Field Level Media
Texas-San Antonio | Arkansas | |
Jhivvan Jackson 20 | Scoring | Isaiah Joe 21 |
Giovanni De Nicolao 2 | Assists | Jalen Harris 10 |
Byron Frohnen 12 | Rebounds | Daniel Gafford 14 |
Atem Bior 5 | Free Throws Made | Jalen Harris 7 |
Giovanni De Nicolao 2 | Steals | Reggie Chaney 4 |
Atem Bior 1 | Blocks | Reggie Chaney 3 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Texas-San Antonio | 67 | 34.4 | 8-29 | 17-24 | 8 | 27 | 3 | 7 | 12 |
Arkansas | 79 | 41.8 | 6-16 | 27-34 | 17 | 34 | 8 | 7 | 15 |