FAYETTEVILLE (AP) — Arkansas coach John Pelphrey doesn’t let Julysses Nobles leave practice until the point guard hits 10 straight free throws.
Some days the free throw session end quickly. Others, well, they take a bit longer.
Nobles was flawless from the line on Tuesday night, connecting on 10-of-10 second-half free throws as the Razorbacks held on for a 73-64 win over Auburn. The sophomore, who has improved from a 55 percent free-throw shooter last year to 73 percent this season, finished with 16 points as Arkansas held off a late Tigers’ rally.
“We needed every one of them, and it was good to see him step up in that situation and cash those things in,” Pelphrey said. “I’ve been with him when it’s taken him quite a while to hit 10, so he doesn’t need to get too overconfident there.
“He has worked on it. It’s something we do every day with him, just for a night like tonight.”
Arkansas (13-6, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) opened the second half on a 21-1 run to build a 55-31 lead. The Razorbacks were aided by the Tigers, the lowest scoring SEC team, who missed their first 23 shots of the second half.
Auburn (7-13, 0-6), which went more than 11 minutes without a field goal after halftime, has lost six in a row.
“But at the end of the day, it’s the same theme: our offense,” Auburn coach Tony Barbee said. “Today, though, it’s a little different. We let our lack of offense affect our defense early in the second half. Give them credit, they made shots.”
The Tigers’ first field goal of the second half came on a floater by Tony Neysmith with 8:36 remaining. The basket started a 13-0 run by Auburn, which closed Arkansas’ lead to as few as six points with less than a minute remaining.
However, Nobles hit all eight of his foul shots in the final 2:05 to help the Razorbacks prevail.
“They were coming back, and I had to make them,” Nobles said. “That comes from working out in the gym every day.
“I wasn’t nervous at all. I work on it every day, so I have to knock them down.”
Arkansas is now 12-0 on the season in Fayetteville, its best start at home since finishing 15-0 during the 1997-98 season. The Razorbacks’ success at home hasn’t carried over to the road, where they are 0-4, including back-to-back losses at South Carolina and Florida before Tuesday’s game.
Rotnei Clarke, Arkansas’ leading scorer, was a combined 1 of 10 shooting in the past two game, but he started quickly against Auburn. The junior scored 10 of his 16 points in the first half, during which the two teams traded the lead 12 times.
The Razorbacks led 34-30 at halftime before sophomore forward Marshawn Powell opened the second half with five straight points. The quick start opened the floodgates for Arkansas, which allowed only a free throw by Auburn’s Earnest Ross during its 21-1 run.
Ross led the Tigers with 15 points, while Allen Payne added 13 and Adrian Forbes 11.
“I think we came out a little flat from the first half,” Forbes said. “It took us a while to actually get the juices going and the blood flowing.”
Powell finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds for Arkansas, his sixth straight game in double figures. After struggling with conditioning early in the season while recovering from a broken foot, the preseason All-SEC pick by the league’s coaches is averaging 15 points per game in conference play.
Despite the win, Powell was still focused on improving on the road.
“We enjoy playing in front of our own home crowd, but we’ve got to win on the road to be considered one of the best teams in this league or even a good team in this league,” Powell said. “We’ve got to win on the road at least one time.”
For more visit WholeHogSports.com.
