Arkansas’ Coty Clarke (4) fights for the ball under the basket against Kentucky’s Julius Mays (34) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Fayetteville, Ark., Saturday, March 2, 2013. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)
KURT VOIGT, AP Sports Writer
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) - Coty Clarke did a lot of everything when Arkansas needed it the most.
Clarke had 14 points and 12 rebounds and the Razorbacks did their best to make a renewed case for an NCAA tournament bid with a convincing 73-60 win over Kentucky on Saturday.
Clarke had six assists and three steals for the Razorbacks (18-11, 9-7 Southeastern Conference), which improved to 17-1 at home. Their only loss in Bud Walton Arena this season came to then-No. 6 Syracuse on Nov. 30 and they are now 33-4 at home under second-year coach Mike Anderson.
Marshawn Powell had 15 points and BJ Young added 13 for Arkansas, which snapped a two-game losing streak with the win.
Arkansas native Archie Goodwin led the Wildcats (20-9, 11-5) with 14 points, while Willie Cauley-Stein had 13 and Ryan Harrow added 10.
After a tight first half, Arkansas took control early in the second and never let off the intensity against the defending national champions.
A sellout crowd of 18,139 in Bud Walton Arena arrived early and thrived on a serious of highlights for the Razorbacks — particularly as they pushed the lead to as many as 15 points in the second half.
An 11-0 run early in the second half — capped by a 3-pointer and three-point play by Powell — gave Arkansas a 43-31 lead and put it well on its way to a much-needed win if the school hopes to reach the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2008.
Kentucky, which had won three straight, closed with within 45-40 after a 3-pointer by Alex Poythress, but that was as close as it would get.
Young answered with a lay-up on the other end for the Razorbacks, starting a 7-0 run whcih put them up 52-40 and effectively put the game out of reach for the Wildcats — which committed 19 turnovers that led to 30 points for Arkansas.
Clarke, in just his 10th start of his first season for the Razorbacks as a junior-college transfer, had the final six points of the run. His put-back of a Young miss and following free throw to complete the three-point play put Arkansas up 50-40, and he followed that moments later by grabbing his eighth rebound — leading to a foul by Kentucky and two more free throws.
Arkansas led 32-29 at halftime despite shooting only 30.8 percent (12 of 39) in the half. The Razorbacks did so behind seven points from Powell in 11 minutes, and they scored 13 points off 11 Kentucky turnovers.
The Wildcats went up 12-6 early after a free throw by Goodwin, who led Little Rock’s Sylvan Hills High School to an Arkansas state championship a year ago, but the turnovers began to take its toll after that.
Young followed Goodwin’s free throw with a lay-up on the other end, beginning a 12-2 run that gave the Razorbacks the lead for the first time and ended with them ahead 18-14 following a free throw by Young. The sophomore entered the game 2 of 19 from the field over his previous two games, but he finished 5 of 13 from the field on Saturday.
Jarrod Polson put Kentucky bad ahead 26-25 with a pair of free throws, the last lead the Wildcats had in losing for the first time since an 88-58 setback to Tennessee. That was their first game without the nation’s leading shot blocker, Nerlens Noel, following a season-ending knee injury.
Kentucky had won three straight since then, including an 85-55 thrashing of Mississippi State earlier in the week, but they had no answer for Arkansas’ home magic on Saturday.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
5 Responses to Clarke paces Arkansas past Kentucky 73-60
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The turnover to assist ratio tells the tale, doesn’t it? The Arkansas defense won the game for them. If you look at our FG %, you would think we would win (46.5% to 34.8%) , but turnovers made the difference. Lots of work to do still, starting with accepting that Arkansas wanted this win more than we did. The next games are so much more important now in determining where we go in the NCAA tourney. I am not giving up on them, but I am so disappointed in their effort today. These are our Cats, and the time to come together and play is NOW.
we will be back next year as strong as ever my advise for other teams enjoy you’re licks on these cats cause lighting does not strike twice
If Cal walks into Stegman down in Athens and sees any one of these same three referees (?) in or anywhere near that crackerbox it would be best to turn around and mail it in. He WILL lose and Show and crew will ensure that fact.
If that was a charging fouls on Polson in the first half I obviously don’t know what constitutes such a foul. Especially when witnessing the mugging that occurred after that.
At one time we had 13 points and 12 turnovers. I don’t understand how ref’s can get away with what they do. The hand checking in the first half was so bad one of the national announcers even called it out on TV. Arkansas could have slugged one of our guys in the face and the foul would have been called on us. It seems to me with all the outrage about ref’s someone, somewhere would do something. OH, wait, we aren’t puke and coach ratface. Funny how someone storms the floor after one of there games and everyone is paying attention now. What about the way iu stormed the floor, injured some fans, almost took Larry out and could have seriously injured players and coaches. Here lately, it almost isn’t any fun watching the games knowing what the ref’s are going to do or not do. If I was Cal, I too would just walk off the floor if those idiots are calling a game. That, Gene, is a very good suggestion.
Give up 20 offensive rebounds while only pulling down 7, and have 19 turnovers and any team would be hard pressed to win.