Appalachian prevails over Arkansas
Last updated Saturday, December 22, 2007 9:11 PM CST in Columns
By Harry King
THE MORNING NEWS
NORTH LITTLE ROCK -- Headed for Alltel Arena, I figured I could knock out the lead by halftime, insert some pertinent information when it was over, and resume the hunt for an elusive Webkinz by 5 p.m.
It never crossed my mind that Appalachian State would get to 5-5 by beating Arkansas. The team from Boone, N.C., is 0-2 in the Southern Conference with W recorded against the uninspiring group of Lipscomb, Middle Tennessee, Campbell in Buies Creek, N.C., and the University of Virginia-Wise. It is a team that lost 18 straight to Southeastern Conference members until beating Vanderbilt in Puerto Rico last year.
That said, there was nothing fluky about the 74-67 final.
The Mountaineers shot better than the Razorbacks, rebounded better than the Razorbacks, banged shooters harder than the Razorbacks, and were perfect on 12 free-throw attempts. Arkansas missed 11-of-25 from the line.
Appalachian did commit 23 turnovers to 11 for Arkansas, but the Razorbacks did not harvest many points from those mistakes.
Mostly, Appalachian won with Donald Sims in the first half and Donte Minter in the second half. A freshman, Sims scored 15 in the first half. Only once before had he scored more than 12. He was falling backward on his only field goal of the second half, a 3-pointer for 70-65 lead with 1:19 to play.
Minter, a 250-pounder who transferred after playing in 49 games with Virginia, made all six of his field goal attempts in the second half and, time after time, the Arkansas defender seemed surprised that Minter shot with his left hand.
From one perspective, it was refreshing -- witnessing a Razorback game and writing about the competition without any personal sub-plots.
During November, Houston Nutt's future was at the heart of every Razorback football game. Come Jan. 1 in Dallas, bubbling just below the surface, will be the Pig or pro decisions of Felix Jones and Jonathan Luigs.
At the only basketball game in Fayetteville, the presence of Mike Anderson on the visitors bench was an integral part of Arkansas-Missouri.
During the first 20 minutes on Saturday, each team took 28 shots and the Mountaineers led 17-13 in makes. From outside, Appalachian was 5-of-11 and Arkansas was 1-of-5.
For the Razorbacks, there's always a question about long-range shooting -- when Patrick Beverley is not producing, who will? Beverley picked up two fouls in the first few minutes and was on the bench before he could take a shot in the first half. He was 2-of-7 in the second half.
There is plenty of blame to go around.
Sonny Weems was 5-of-16 from the field. Charles Thomas was the only Razorback with more than three rebounds, but he missed six free throws. Minter had nine rebounds for the Mountaineers and two other players had a half-dozen each. Darian Townes scored a solid 14 points, but he managed only one rebound.
The Mountaineers led by eight at the half and by 14 early in the second half after Arkansas opened the half with five straight misses. At that point, a seat-mate offered that Arkansas coach John Pelphrey had told his team beforehand that they might not get a Christmas break if they lost to the Mountaineers. After the game, Pelphrey said he wouldn't follow through on that threat.
Coming out of a timeout that followed an Appalachian turnover in Pelphrey's lap, the coach was out of his coat in time to watch Thomas' three-point play that reduced the lead to 47-39.
Gary Ervin's second-effort basket and a 3-pointer sliced the lead to 59-55 and I thought Arkansas was in position to win.
But Thomas missed two free throws and the Arkansas defense lost track of Eduardo Bermudez. Ervin's two free throws and his pass to Weems for a dunk narrowed it to 63-61. Needing a stop, Arkansas fouled and Sims made both free throws. Ervin's rebound led to Townes' two free throws and 67-65, but that's when Sims was good from outside.
The Razorbacks have two more non-conference games to get some things worked out.
Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media's Arkansas News Bureau. His e-mail address is hking@arkansasnews.com.
About this columnist
The dean of Arkansas sports writers, Harry King updates his column five days per week with the latest on the Razorbacks. A 35-year veteran of The Associated Press, King joined the Arkansas News Bureau in May of 2002. He's covered the Razorbacks since the Arkansas-Texas game dubbed the Big Shootout in 1969.
Reader Comments (No comments posted.)
The following comments are provided by readers and are the sole responsibility of their authors. The Morning News does not review comments before their publication, nor do we guarantee their accuracy. By publishing a comment here you agree to abide by our comment policy. If you see a comment that violates our policy, please notify the web editor.
Not already registered?
