FAYETTEVILLE -- He dove for loose balls. He fought for rebounds. He threw down dunks and snatched rebounds.

Arkansas freshman forward Michael Sanchez shined in every aspect of the game during Arkansas' 68-59 win over California-Davis on Thursday night. The Springdale Har-Ber graduate finished with his first career double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in 30 minutes.

Sanchez had eight points and five rebounds in only 11 first-half minutes. He gained confidence with a few early dunks but really left an impact with his coach because of his constant hustle.

"I thought Mike with his heart and his passion and his toughness really gave us a lift," Arkansas coach John Pelphrey said. "I really like the reckless abandon he showed without fouling."

Pelphrey Technical

Pelphrey drew his first technical foul of the season with 16:21 left in the game. After Michael Washington fouled California-Davis' Joe Harden on a 3-point attempt, Pelphrey swung his arms wildly in the air and screamed. He was quickly slapped with a technical.

Harden made all five free throws to cut Arkansas' lead to 44-37. Apparently, Pelphrey had been bothered by a few calls before the Washington foul.

"That stemmed from a couple plays before," Pelphrey said.

Cold From Deep

The Razorbacks had trouble connecting from beyond the 3-point line. They made only 1 of 6 shots from behind the arc in the first half and missed all seven attempts after halftime.

Freshman point guard Courtney Fortson had the only 3 for Arkansas.

"We have a lot of versatility," junior guard Stefan Welsh said. "If the 3 ball isn't falling, we can do other things."

On The Boards

Arkansas dominated the Aggies 45-29 in rebounding. Pelphrey said that he was thrilled by the Razorbacks' performance on the boards but that he wasn't surprised by the margin.

Sanchez led the Razorbacks in rebounding with his 12 boards. Montrell McDonald grabbed seven, and Washington posted six.

"We should have had that advantage," Pelphrey said. "Their bigs are perimeter guys."

Tip-Ins

• California-Davis coach Gary Stewart said his team's plan was to "limit Washington's touches." The Aggies succeeded, holding Washington to 11 points on 3-of-7 shooting.

• Arkansas struggled again from the free throw line. The Hogs made 19 of 30 on Thursday night after hitting 24 of 42 last Friday night in their season-opening win.

• Fortson scored 16 points, posting double figures for the second straight game to start his career.