Why Arkansas basketball didn't have an easy time in first half with Central Arkansas

FAYETTEVILLE — Watch the highlights from No. 9 Arkansas basketball's 97-60 win over Central Arkansas and you'll see a monster block from Jaylin Williams in the first half. But before you can see that quality play, you'll have to watch the tangled mess of men flopping on the floor trying to recover a loose ball, which immediately preceded the Williams block.

That duality sums up the game at Bud Walton Arena, especially the first half.

Arkansas (7-0) struggled early Wednesday, both at the line and in defending from 3-point range. Central Arkansas (1-7) stayed close in the first half and was down six at intermission, but Arkansas came out of the locker room much improved: Au'Diese Toney scored nine points in the first four minutes to help Arkansas outscore the Bears 56-25 in the second half.

HIGHLIGHTS: Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball vs. UCA video highlights, score

Stanley Umude led Arkansas' offense with 17 points on 46% shooting, but three other Razorbacks were in double-figures. Williams pulled down a team-high 13 rebounds.

Struggles at the line

UCA committed 11 fouls in the first half, but Arkansas was just 8 of 20 at the free-throw line in the same period. Arkansas coach Eric Musselman called the performance at the line "abysmal." Davonte Davis joked that the team shot free throws so well in pregame that it "ran out of bullets."

Arkansas cleaned up its act in the second half, going 5-of-6. The best any individual Razorback shot from the line all night was Davis' 57% on seven attempts.

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Defending beyond the arc

Arkansas had improved its 3-point defense during its road trip to the Hall of Fame Classic. It held Kansas State, then No. 10 in 3-point percentage, to about 13% from deep. Heading into Wednesday's game, Arkansas opponents were shooting about 35% from 3-point range.

But Central Arkansas shot well from beyond the arc early. The Bears went 7-of-10 from 3 in the first half, which helped it take a 21-19 lead early on and keep the first 20 minutes close. In the second half, though, Central Arkansas made just 2 of 11 3-point attempts.

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"That was something that we didn't really know that they could do, because they only make five (3-pointers) a game," Davis said. "It was kind of shocking that they actually were making shots with our hands in their face, so we had to make sure we ran them off the 3-point line in the second half."

Musselman said the same, and that Arkansas didn't emphasize the 3 in practice for Central Arkansas.

"We've got to do a better job," he said. "We made progress on the 3, and then tonight we took a huge step backwards defending the 3 for sure."

Darious Hall and Collin Cooper's homecoming

Darious Hall was a hot topic leading up to the matchup. Hall transferred from Arkansas to DePaul in 2019 and then joined Central Arkansas before this season. Entering Wednesday's game, he was the Bears' second-leading scorer. Hall, a Little Rock native, finished with 12 points.

Central Arkansas guard Collin Cooper is a graduate of Fayetteville High School. He was an All-State player as a senior and a two-time conference player of the year with the Bulldogs. Against Arkansas, the sophomore collected 13 points, three rebounds and two assists, but fouled out midway through the second half.

Cooper and Hall were two of a combined 10 players on both teams from the state of Arkansas.

"It's fun playing against those guys," Williams, a Fort Smith native, said. "Growing up in Arkansas, I want to see everybody succeed."

Up next

Arkansas plays Little Rock on Saturday ( (3 p.m. CT, SEC Network) at Bud Walton Arena. Little Rock coach Darrell Walker played for Arkansas from 1981-83 and ranks fourth all-time in steals for the Razorbacks.

Christina Long covers the Arkansas Razorbacks. You can email her at clong@swtimes.com or follow her on Twitter @christinalong00.

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas men's basketball takes care of Central Arkansas