Zvonimir Ivisic scored a game-high 20 points and the Arkansas Razorbacks claimed a crucial 92-85 victory over the No. 15 Missouri Tigers on Saturday night in Fayetteville, Ark.
Slotted in ESPN’s “Last Four In” category ahead of the NCAA Tournament, Arkansas (16-11, 5-9 SEC) got a big showing from transfer guard Johnell Davis, who notched 18 points and was a defensive standout with four steals.
D.J. Wagner registered 17 points, while Karter Knox added 14.
Hampered by a late-game injury, leading scorer Adou Thiero totaled 11 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Arkansas shot 54.7 percent from the floor, recorded 11 steals and held a 44-28 edge in points in the paint.
Mark Mitchell totaled 17 points and seven rebounds as Missouri (20-7, 9-5 SEC) had its three-game winning streak snapped.
Marques Warrick scored 16 points. Caleb Grill and Jacob Crews had 13 and 10, respectively, but both long-distance shooters were held scoreless in the second half.
A 15-point winner over the Razorbacks on Jan. 18, the Tigers did not find the going as easy on the road as the home team barged out to a 10-4 advantage nearly five minutes into the return matchup. However, Grill’s 3-pointer at 12:11 lifted Missouri to the lead for the second time.
The Tigers, who got 33 bench points in the first half, shot 51.4 percent and led 48-41 after Warrick canned a trey at the buzzer as the squad led by as many as eight points.
Arkansas was actually better from the floor and made 53.6 percent of its shots, but coach John Calipari’s team missed 9 of 10 attempts from long range.
In the second half, Davis’ pair of free throws at 15:33 made it 55-54 to put the Razorbacks ahead for the first time since they led 25-22.
The game continued its back-and-forth tussle until Knox’s layup created the largest lead, 76-65, at 6:07.
Warrick’s second trey in 45 seconds cut it to 89-84 inside the last minute, but the visitors could get no closer as the Razorbacks won for the first time in three games.
–Field Level Media
