Postgame: Arkansas 82, Vanderbilt 74

FAYETTEVILLE - Arkansas isn’t invincible, but it sure appears that way at home.

The short-handed Razorbacks took down another ranked team Tuesday night, defeating No. 25 Vanderbilt 82-74 at Bud Walton Arena. Arkansas improved to 16-0 at home this season, matching the best start ever at the 19-year-old venue.

Arkansas (16-6, 4-3 Southeastern Conference) used a 22-6 second half run to build a 13-point lead and never trailed afterward. The Razorbacks hit six 3-pointers during the stretch.

Vanderbilt had led 34-32 at halftime.

Rickey Scott scored 18 points to lead all scorers, while Julysses Nobles added 17 for the Razorbacks. Nobles, who had 11 points before halftime, appeared to injure his ankle early in the second half. The junior guard left the court momentarily, but re-entered the game after only a few minutes.

Vanderbilt (16-6, 5-2 SEC) handled Arkansas’ pressure defense well, committing only 11 turnovers and hitting 50 percent of its field goal attempts. But the undersized Razorbacks won the rebounding battle 36-29, scoring 13 second-chance points.

Vanderbilt used a 11-0 run to take the lead late in the first half, paced by seven straight points from Festus Ezeli. The senior center recorded his fourth foul with 11:15 remaining in the contest, however, and didn’t score again.

John Jenkins, the SEC’s leading scorer, led Vanderbilt with 19 points. Jeffery Taylor added 18 points for the Commodores.

Arkansas had five players score in double-figures. BJ Young finished with 12 points, while Rashad Madden and Mardracus Wade each had 10.

The Razorbacks will travel to LSU on Saturday, looking for its first win away from home this season. Arkansas beat LSU 69-60 on Jan. 14 in Fayetteville.

PHOTOS

VIDEOS

• Mike Anderson – Vanderbilt Postgame
• Kevin Stallings – Arkansas Postgame
• Arkansas-Vanderbilt Postgame Celebration

NOTABLE

• Arkansas hit six 3-pointers during a 22-6 second half run to build a 13-point lead.
• Arkansas has the nation’s 11th-longest active home win streak at 16 games, which is tied for the third-longest in the history of Bud Walton Arena.
• The game featured the SEC’s leading scorer, John Jenkins, and the SEC’s leading freshman scorer, BJ Young. Jenkins finished with a game-high 19 points, while Young finished with 12 points.
• Arkansas improved to 3-0 against Associated Press Top 25 teams this season at home. The Razorbacks beat then-No. 15 Mississippi State 98-88 on Jan. 7 and then-No. 20 Michigan 66-64 on Jan. 21.
• Marvell Waithe played briefly in the first half for the Razorbacks after missing two straight games and the majority of a third with a calf injury. He finished with two rebounds.
• Brandon Mitchell, a walk-on from the Razorbacks’ football team, played in his first game this season after joining the Razorbacks earlier this month. He finished without recording any stats.
• Hunter Mickelson tied Steven Hill for second-place for blocked shots by an Arkansas freshman. Mickelson has 54 blocked shots this season, with at least one in all 22 games.
• Festus Ezeli picked up his fourth personal foul when he was called for a double technical foul along with Arkansas’ Devonta Abron with 11:15 remaining. Ezeli was leading the Commodores with 14 points at the time.
• Vanderbilt became the first team Mike Anderson recorded multiple wins against as the Razorbacks’ head coach. Anderson was Arkansas’ interim coach during a win over the Commodores on March 2, 2002.
• Vanderbilt fell to 2-9 all-time in Fayetteville and 2-6 all-time at Bud Walton Arena.
• The actual estimated attendance was 13,100.
• The game was played as part of ESPN’s “Super Tuesday” TV series.

DID YOU KNOW?

Arkansas matched the 1993-94 national championship team for the most wins at Bud Walton Arena in a single season.

QUOTABLE

“It’s this team’s time. The thing I’m proud of is they’re listening, they’re learning and getting better. They’re taking the same approach each and every day.” – Mike Anderson

You can follow Matt Jones on Twitter @NWAMatt.