Razorbacks Claim Big Scalp, Win Exhibition Thriller

Hogs' survive injury scare, tale of two halves (plus overtime) against Purdue

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Chants of "SEC" broke out in the final seconds of Arkansas' 81-77 charity exhibition win over third-ranked Purdue. The Razorbacks finish their final tuneup before their season opener just over a week away which probably won't be as packed as Bud Walton Arena was for this one Saturday.

Forward Trevon Brazile, in just his second scrimmage back from last year's season-ending ACL injury, sent a hush over the sold-out crowd at Bud Walton Arena for a charity exhibition against third-ranked Purdue. Brazile made back-to-back threes to open the second half but fell awkwardly with 16:48 left in the game, but fear not, he returned just a few minutes later. Devonte "Devo" Davis also left the game with an apparent injury after getting tangled up with Purdue star center and reigning AP Player of the Year Zach Edey, but coach Eric Musselman was confident postgame that he would be fine.  

The scrimmage itself, despite having zero relevance to the final record of either team lived up to all the hype. In a tale of two halves, the execution of offense was better from both sides within the final 30 minutes. The two teams found themselves deadlocked at 69 with 22.7 seconds left to go, thanks to a game-tying three-pointer from Houston transfer Tramon Mark. 

"What an incredible performance by both teams for our crowd," Musselman said. "Who gets to watch that in October? It just doesn't happen. That game was incredible for anybody that got to witness it. It really was. Almost as good as any game I've participated in and it's an exhibition game."

Mark scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half and overtime. With the team down two early in the extra period, El Ellis went on a mini 5-0 spurt by himself, to set up the Razorbacks with a 74-71 lead with 2:30 to go in overtime. Fittingly, after Mark hit a pull-up jumper to stretch the lead to five and after starting 1-5 from the free throw line, iced the game from the line by making his final three and icing their final scrimmage before the season opener. 

"We took the word exhibition out," Mark said. "We treated it like a real game and that’s what we did. We came out and played hard for all 40 minutes ... Both teams were scrappy. Both teams were trying to get the win here, and that’s how we took it and that’s what we did."

If someone watched just the first half, one would struggle to see why both teams are ranked in the top 15. Key players for both teams found themselves in foul trouble. Edey and Davis picked up two fouls each early, limiting themselves to 8 and 6 minutes respectively. 

For the first 15+ minutes, both teams shot below 45 percent from the floor and combined for 15 turnovers. The teams shot a paltry 20 percent from beyond the arc combined and both offenses never found any rhythm. The teams instead traded an offensive shootout for a gritty defensive battle in which the teams were deadlocked at 22 with 3:46 left to go in the first half.

Back-to-back Purdue turnovers sprung a quick 6-0 run with three consecutive baskets inside, including layups from Mark and Mekhi Mitchell. Arkansas went into intermission ahead 31-26 led by seven points from El Ellis and six from Khalif Battle. Reigning Big Ten All-Freshman Braden Smith led all scorers with eight, including two three-pointers at the half.

Following the Brazile spurt to open the second half, Edey finally showed his prowess, flushing back-to-back dunks and consistently getting inside. The reigning AP Player of the Year finished with a team-leading 15 points and made his presence felt despite the early foul trouble.

The Razorbacks looked to have pulled away, leading by seven with 5:18 left to play after yet another Mark bucket, but in a game that featured 12 ties and 11 lead changes, Purdue went on a 7-0 run spurred on by a Mason Gillis triple to set up the dramatic finish.

The next time the ball tips off at Bud Walton Arena, the games and stats will count for real. The Razorbacks face off against Alcorn State 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 6. The game will be streamed on SEC Network+. 

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