Razorbacks Show Fight, Come Up Empty in First Road Test

Tramon Mark tries to carry team with little success in wire-to-wire loss on road at Georgia

ATHENS, Ga. — Arkansas showed more fight in the second half, but fell short in a wire-to-wire loss to Georgia, 76-66 against Georgia. Tramon Mark led the charge, scoring 18 of his 24 points in the second half. 

After falling behind by 13 early, the Razorbacks slowly chipped away, Mark showed the desire coach Eric Musselman has been wanting from somebody for a couple of weeks. A driving layup and an ensuing steal from Mark suddenly cut the lead to just 4. A pair of free throws pulled the Hogs to a single possession. 

"The 10 missed layups in the first half and then 68 percent from the foul line and then 3 for 21 (from 3)," Musselman said. "It’s amazing that we were within striking distance."

If Musselman wanted to quell the fears of the fanbase after a 32-point loss to Auburn, his team certainly didn't show it. Arkansas started the game scoreless for nearly 4 minutes as Georgia controlled the tempo. The Razorbacks started 4-for-11 from the field with four turnovers as Georgia took a 16-9 lead. 

The Hogs looked to have fought back into the game with a 6-0 run including Davonte "Devo" Davis' first points since the game against UNC-Wilmington, cutting the deficit to just 16-15. The Razorbacks, however, went ice cold again with another 4-minute scoring drought as Georgia responded with a 12-0 run capped by a three-pointer by Justin Hill, his third of the half. Trevon Brazile's airball on a deep three on the final possession rather fittingly put an end to a horrid first half with Georgia leading 34-24. 

Arkansas looked to show more fight in the second half, showing more fight and life, but the Bulldogs always had the answer and kept the Hogs at arm's length. A three-point play from Davis cut the lead to six, the closest the Razorbacks had been since the game was 21-15 8:28 left in the first half. A triple from Blue Cain halted the Hogs momentum. It didn't help that the Bulldogs entered the double bonus with 8:46 left in the game, allowing Georgia to get plenty of points from the charity stripe. 

The Hogs found its offense in the second half, scoring 42 points in the second half after scoring 45 in the previous two halves, but the Razorbacks turned the ball over for the 15th time in the final minute, sealing the fate of the game. 

"I thought we played harder," Musselman said." "We’ve got to make shots. I mean, the opposing teams, their shooters are making shots. We have to make open jump shots just like SEC shooters are doing against us."

The Razorbacks continue to search for its first SEC win against Florida on the road 3 p.m. Jan. 13. The game will be broadcast on ESPN and fuboTV.

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