Battle has career day for Hogs

Battle has career day for Hogs

FAYETTEVILLE – Khalif Battle had a career day, scoring 42 points, to lead Arkansas to an 88-73 victory over Missouri Saturday afternoon. The Razorbacks swept the Tigers in the regular season and it marks the second-straight sweep of opponents in the last two games thanks to it win at Texas A&M on Tuesday.

Final Stats (PDF)     

Battle by the numbers include:

• a career-high 42 points.
• 42 points being the most by an SEC player this season.
• being one shy of the school record for points in an SEC game (43 by Todd Day at LSU in 1992).
• the 13th time a Razorback has scored 40-plus points in a game and it was the seventh-most points scored by a Razorback all-time.
• going 14-of-14 at the free throw line, tying the best effort in school history among players to go 100% at the line.
• 11 field goals made, 14 free throws made and attempted being career highs.
• 6 3-pointers ties his career high and 6 rebounds tying his season high.

Battle’s big game proved pivotal as Missouri’s Shawn East scored 33 points, going 15-of-16 at the free throw line. Battle and East combined for 75 points, the second-most combined points by opposing players in Bud Walton Arena history. The first half was a shootout between Mizzou’s East (17 points) and Arkansas’ Battle (16 points). Battle won the second-half battle over East, 26 to 16.

Ironically, the previous high by an SEC player was Texas A&M’s Wade Taylor IV, who had 41 in a losing effort to the Razorbacks (Jan. 16). In that game, Arkansas’ Tramon Mark scored 35 points as the two combined for a Bud Walton record of 76 points.

Arkansas used an 11-0 run midway through the first half to take control of the game and lead by two, 36-34, at the break. Missouri came out hot to start the second half, using a 10-0 run to lead by three with four minutes gone in the second half. The lead bounced back and forth for the next six minutes. The Razorbacks started to pull away and led by 11 (65-54) with 6:58 play after a Battle 4-point play. Mizzou got to within nine with 4:13 left, but Makhi Mitchell answered with two free throws and the Razorbacks held a double-digit lead the rest of the way.

Mitchell finished with 13 points, six rebounds and three assists. Tramon Mark had 10 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Davonte Davis, who cracked the school’s top 10 for career assists, led the team with nine rebounds and six assists.

Nick Honor scored 14 points and Tamar Bates had 11.

The Razorbacks are back in Bud Walton Arena on Tuesday (Feb. 27) to host Vanderbilt. Tipoff is set for 8:00 pm (CT) and the game will be televised on SEC Network.

NOTES

• Arkansas starters were El Ellis, Khalif Battle, Davonte Davis, Tramon Mark and Chandler Lawson.
• Missouri controlled the opening tip.
• Missouri’s Noah Carter scored the game’s first points with two free throws at 16:34. Battle scored Arkansas’ first points with a 3-pointer at 15:43.
• Makhi Mitchell was the first Razorback sub.
• At 19:03 – the first basket of the second half – Devo Davis dished out his 303rd career assist to enter the school’s all-time 10. He finished with 6 assists to give him 306 for his career. Next on the school’s all-time list is 319 by Todd Day.
• Khalif Battle scored 30-plus for the first time as a Razorback and the second time for his career (scored 32 vs South Florida in 2021. He is the fourth Razorback to score 30-plus this season and 54th Razorback. It has now happened 141 times in school history.
• Arkansas is 35-27 all-time versus Mizzou and 20-10 in games played in Fayetteville. Arkansas is 16-9 versus the Tigers since Mizzou joined the SEC, including a 10-2 mark in Fayetteville.
• For the fifth straight game, Arkansas held its opponent to 30% or below in 3-point shooting. Mizzou, who was 10-of-20 versus the Hogs in Columbia earlier this season, was just 5-of-19 (26.3%).
• The 16 assists were a high in SEC games and the most since getting 16 versus UNC Wilmington.
• The 10 3’s made were the second-most by Arkansas this season. The most was 12 versus Alcorn in the season opener.
• The five turnovers marked the seventh time this season Arkansas had single-digit turnovers and ties for the second-fewest in a game this season.
• Mizzou only had six assists and 27 total rebounds, each tying for the second fewest by an opponent this season.

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