No. 20 Arkansas used a decisive second-half surge and a 15-0 edge in fast-break points to pull away from Missouri for a 94-86 win Saturday afternoon at Bud Walton Arena, handing the Tigers their second loss in the last three Southeastern Conference games.
Missouri (18-9, 8-6 SEC) trimmed the deficit to one possession multiple times in the second half, including at 57-56 with just over 14 minutes remaining, but Arkansas (19-7, 9-4 SEC) answered each push with timely threes, transition buckets and steady free-throw shooting down the stretch.
The Razorbacks stretched the margin to 83-73 with 5:09 to play after a transition three capped a run fueled by second-chance opportunities and corner shooting. From there, Arkansas controlled the tempo and closed it out at the line.
Senior forward Mark Mitchell once again led Missouri, finishing with a team-high 26 points in his scoring effort while adding eight assists. Trent Pierce provided a major boost throughout with 22 points, including multiple second-half threes and a late three-point play that briefly cut the deficit to 11. Jayden Stone and Anthony Robinson II added key baskets as the Tigers shot well enough to stay within striking distance, but struggled to contain Arkansas in transition.
Arkansas countered with balance and pace. Darius Acuff Jr., who entered the game averaging 22.3 points and 6.2 assists, directed an offensive machine that came in averaging 89.8 points per game. The Razorbacks consistently turned live-ball situations into runouts and capitalized at the stripe in the final eight minutes to preserve the lead.
The Tigers started strong. Mitchell opened the scoring with a steal and fast-break layup and later connected with Shawn Phillips Jr. on an alley-oop as Missouri jumped out to a 9-4 lead. Pierce’s wing three pushed the advantage to five, and the Tigers built the margin to eight midway through the first half.
Arkansas closed the period with a flurry, flipping a deficit into a 47-41 halftime lead behind transition scoring and second-chance points.
Tigers' second half run comes up short against the Razorbacks
Missouri made its move early in the second half. After a Flagrant 1 was assessed to Arkansas’ Billy Richmond at the end of the first half, the Tigers converted at the line and scored on their opening possession to cut it to 47-44. Pierce knocked down a three off a handoff from Phillips, and Stone buried a corner triple off a Mitchell kickout to keep Missouri within a possession.
But each time the Tigers closed in, Arkansas answered — first with free throws, then with back-to-back corner threes that stretched the lead to seven, and finally with the decisive run midway through the half.
Missouri drops to 18-9 overall and 8-6 in SEC play with the loss, while Arkansas improves to 19-7 and strengthens its position near the top of the conference standings. The teams will meet once more later this season to wrap up SEC play in Colombia but the next matchup for Missouri will be on home court against Tennessee this upcoming Tuesday, a location in which the Tigers have lost two games all season.