By Robbie Neiswanger
Arkansas News Bureau • rneiswanger@arkansasnews.com
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas got an early-season scare when it needed a strong performance in overtime to slide by Appalachian State in Bud Walton Arena last Friday.
The Razorbacks got something much worse than a scare against Morgan State on Tuesday night. They got a loss.
Guard Reggie Holmes scored 34 points and reserve Joe Davis came off the bench to add 18 to lead the Bears to a 97-94 win in front of an announced crowd of 7,468 in Bud Walton Arena. Morgan State (4-1) fell behind by as many as 13 points in the first half, but battled back after the break and held on down the stretch to earn a big win.
The Bears ended Arkansas’ nonconference win streak in Bud Walton Arena at 45 games and shocked the Hogs.
Arkansas (2-2) hadn’t lost a nonconference game at home since 2003-04, when Western Carolina got a 62-59 overtime win in former coach Stan Heath’s second season.
“It’s very frustrating,” said Arkansas guard Rotnei Clarke, who missed an off-balance 3-pointer that would’ve tied the game as time expired. “No matter who it is, anyone to come in here and play that well and get a win here in Bud Walton Arena is very frustrating to us and frustrating to probably the whole state of Arkansas.
“Obviously, we’re not very happy with it.”
Clarke’s final miss wasn’t the reason for the loss. The Razorbacks can blame their poor defense and a woeful effort on the boards for the disappointment.
Arkansas surrendered a season-high in points, struggling to keep Morgan State from getting to the basket and knocking down jump shots down the stretch.
Arkansas also failed to keep Morgan State off the glass, allowing 15 offensive rebounds which led to 20 second-chance points for the opportunistic Bears.
“We know exactly where it is,” Arkansas coach John Pelphrey said. “Rebound the basketball and play better defense. That’s where we really got hurt (Tuesday night). It’s disappointing.”
Morgan State, which was coming off a 90-81 loss at Louisville on Sunday night, showed more poise down the stretch than the Hogs in a game dominated by fouls (54) and free throws (86). There were nine lead changes and 13 ties in the game, most of them coming after halftime.
Davis gave Morgan State the lead for good when he knocked down a jumper to break an 83-83 tie with 2:23 remaining.
The Bears built as much as a five-point lead before Clarke — who scored a team-high 26 points — knocked down two 3-pointers to trim it to one in the closing seconds.
Holmes made two free throws on the other end of the floor to bump the lead back to one, setting the stage for Clarke’s miss as the buzzer sounded.
Davis and Holmes combined to score Morgan State’s final 14 points. Ten of those points were from free throws.
“I’m proud of my guys,” Morgan State coach Todd Bozeman said. “When you win right before Thanksgiving the turkey tastes a little better.”
It wasn’t the first time Morgan State has had a chance to celebrate this type of win. The Bears, who played in the 2009 NCAA Tournament, upset Maryland and DePaul last season and Arkansas was well aware of the danger it faced.
“We knew what they were capable of,” Clarke said. “We knew they played Louisville really well.”
But Arkansas’ knowledge of its opponent couldn’t help the Razorbacks avoid a disappointing loss. One that came on a nigh Arkansas welcomed a familiar face back to the court.
Senior guard Stefan Welsh made his debut after being suspended indefinitely for violating team rules. Welsh, who missed three games, scored five points in 20 minutes.
Center Michael Washington had 21 points. Julysses Nobles and Marshawn Powell each added 17 for the Razorbacks.
Pelphrey said basketball can be bad for the holidays and Arkansas certainly won’t like its Thanksgiving much after Tuesday’s loss. But the Razorbacks won’t have much time to sulk in the disappointment. Arkansas will be back on the court to face East Tennessee State on Friday night.
“We’re not going to make any excuses,” Pelphrey said. “We didn’t defend and rebound well enough to win the game.”
