Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

2/19/2011 at 9:40pm

Alabama 69, Arkansas 56

Why Arkansas Lost
Alabama outscored the Razorbacks 12-3 over the final 2:50 of the game. Arkansas (16-10, 5-7), which shot just 32 percent in the second half, struggled to protect the ball and allowed the Crimson Tide to score 25 points off 17 turnovers. Alabama (18-8, 10-2) clinched at least a tie for the SEC West title with the victory and the Razorbacks failed to capitalize on a chance to move into second place in the division.

Player of the Game
Crimson Tide forward Tony Mitchell had a career day with 27 points. He turned in a pair of highlight-reel worth dunks down the stretch to energize the Crimson Tide and a capacity crowd of 15,383. Mitchell also finished with nine rebounds as Alabama outscored Arkansas 38-25 in the second half.

Mixed Results
Guard Rotnei Clarke appeared to be headed for a rough night. He had a wide-open 3-point attempt to start the game and missed, often a sign he’ll struggle.

Clarke finished up with 21 points. He hit 40 percent from the floor and 4 of 5 from the 3-point line. It’s the first time this year the Razorbacks have lost an SEC game with Clarke shooting 40-percent or better.

Arkansas, which shot 7 of 15 from behind the 3-point line as a team, got just seven points from Clarke in the second half. Clarke, however, did lead the Razorbacks in rebounding.

Johnson Hurt
Center Delvon Johnson played just 20 minutes after suffering what appeared to be an ankle injury. Johnson finished with 3 points, 2 rebounds and 1 block.

Bad Timing
Coach John Pelphrey called a timeout with 7:42 left after the Razorbacks fell behind 53-52. Arkansas needed to regroup, but there was a timeout coming at the next dead ball, so the timing seemed questionable.

Speaking Out
"Probably the biggest this for us was in the second half, defensively, we were not as good as we were in the first half. Their big three made some plays, and obviously from the offensive side we found it tough sledding in the second half. Alabama was just better than us down the stretch."
—Arkansas Coach John Pelphrey

Up Next
Arkansas hosts Kentucky on Wednesday.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Tagged: Alabama Crimson Tide, Rotnei Clarke, John Pelphrey, Arkansas Razorbacks