WACO, Texas – Arkansas and Baylor, who last met in an NCAA Elite 8 matchup two years ago, put on another classic battle Saturday afternoon at the Farrell Center with the #17 Bears taking a 67-64 victory as part of the SEC/Big12 Challenge.
Arkansas led by two five minutes to play before Baylor tied the game at 53 with 4:51 left to play. The Bears would then score four-straight points on a pair of Keyonte George baskets and later lead 62-55 with 1:21 left. However, Ricky Council IV kept Arkansas close with a pair of free throws and a jumper to get the Razorbacks to within three (62-59) with 28 seconds left.
After an Arkansas foul, BU’s Jalen Bridges went 1-of-2 at the line. Davonte Davis sprinted down the floor and converted an old-fashion 3-point play to cut the deficit to one (63-62) with 19 ticks left. The Razorbacks fouled LJ Cryer with 10 seconds left and he made both free throws for a three-point Baylor lead. Davis once again quickly pushed the ball up the court and made a layup with four seconds left to make it a one-point game once again.
George was immediately fouled on the inbounds play and made both free throws to give Baylor a 67-64 lead. Arkansas got the inbounds pass up to Davis, who was fouled just past half court with two seconds left. Davis missed the free throw and Arkansas executed a play it routinely practices. Jalen Graham tipped the ball to an open Joseph Pinion in the right corner. The shot was off in time but did not fall to give Baylor the win.
Council led Arkansas with 25 points while Davis added 16 points and four assists. Graham only scored four points but had his most impactful game of the year with a season-high nine rebounds, four assists and two steals.
George and Cryer led the Bears with 24 and 20 points, respectively. The pair were each 6-of-6 at the foul line and Baylor was 21-of-24 from the stripe from the game. Arkansas was just 6-of-11 at the line for the contest.
Arkansas will step out of league play to face #17 Baylor in the SEC-Big 12 Challenge on Saturday (Jan. 28). The game will be played in Waco, Texas. Tipoff is set for 3 pm (CT) and the game will be televised by ESPN.