FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Arkansas men’s basketball team ran away from the Georgia Bulldogs on Senior Day in Bud Walton Arena, closing out the regular season with an 85-67 victory.
With the win, the Razorbacks (23-8, 12-6 SEC) join the 2014-15 squad that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament as the only teams to record 23 regular season victories in the last 22 seasons.
All three seniors finished in double figures as Moses Kingsley and Dusty Hannahs tied for the team lead with 15 each, while Manuale Watkins posted 12 in the 18-point victory over Georgia (18-13, 9-9 SEC).
Arkansas opened the second half much like it closed the first, on fire. Hitting its first three shots, the Razorbacks stretched its lead to six points, forcing Georgia to call a timeout after the Bulldogs picked up four quick fouls with 17:48 left in the contest. Out of the timeout, Hannahs drilled a deep three and the Razorbacks never looked back. Arkansas sank 11 of its first 15 shots in the second period as the Razorbacks shot 61 percent (20-33) from the floor in the second half and led by as many as 21.
In his last game inside Bud Walton Arena, Hannahs sank a three at the top of the key to open the game. Georgia would lead by as many as seven points early in the contest before missing eight of its final 11 shots to end the half. The Razorbacks would capitalize by hitting nine of their last 13 shots of the first half to take a one-point lead at the intermission. Hannahs and Kingsley led Arkansas at the break with eight points each as Arkansas led the Bulldogs 38-37 at halftime.
Jaylen Barford tied for a team-high 15 points and led the team with three assists. To go along with his 15 points, Kingsley pulled down nine rebounds. Anton Beard and Dustin Thomas each added six points, and Trey Thompson put up five points and eight rebounds.
Arkansas took advantage of Georgia inside, outscoring the Bulldogs in the paint 48-22.
UP NEXT
Arkansas will travel to Nashville, Tennessee, next week to compete in the 2017 SEC Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena. The Razorbacks have earned a double bye in the tournament and will their first game on Friday. The time and opponent have yet to be determined.
