Balance lifts Arkansas over Campbellsville 103-58

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Five double-digit scorers and a strong defensive effort against Campbellsville lifted Arkansas to a 103-58 exhibition victory Monday night at Bud Walton Arena. Michael Washington led all scorers with 22 points and tied for the game-high with seven rebounds. Stefan Welsh added 20 points on eight-of-11 shooting in 23 minutes of play against the Tigers.

Riding a hot hand all night, Welsh posted the first points of the second half with a layup, his seventh-straight point going back to the end of the first half. After forcing a five-second call on Campbellsville, the Razorbacks extended its lead to 57-27 after a Michael Sanchez three-point play.

Welsh picked up his 20th point with his fourth three-pointer of the night with 16:08 remaining in the game. The junior guard added four assists and three steals to his night’s total. Clarke followed suit with a three-point basket of his own to give Arkansas a 67-34 lead.

Washington scored eight of the Razorbacks’ next 10 points, including a dunk working off a high-low with Sanchez. At the end of Washington’s run, Arkansas held a 77-40 lead. Along with his 22 points, Washington totaled four blocks on the night.

The teams played even through the middle of the second half, but Sanchez knocked in a couple of buckets in the paint to push the team’s lead to 91-50, its first push over 40 of the game. Freshman guard Jason Henry put in a three pointer with 4:21 left in the game to join the Razorbacks’ cast of double-digit scorers. The West Memphis native finished the night with 10 points.

Clarke notched his fourth trey of the game with 3:10 remaining in the game to put Arkansas on the cusp of the 100-point mark. Stephen Cox pushed Arkansas over the mark with a three-point play to give the team a 102-56 advantage.

The Razorbacks connected on 60.6 percent of their field goals and made half of their three pointers (10-for-20) against Campbellsville. Arkansas held its opponent to a 31-percent clip, 18-of-58 from the field.

Washington opened the scoring with a layup 10 seconds into game, but Arkansas struggled from the field early and went 2:37 between buckets. After falling behind by four, the Razorbacks surged ahead with a 10-0 run to take a 13-7 lead. Washington capped the stretch with a three-point play at 12:34.

Washington was one of three Razorbacks that notched double-digit point totals in the first half. The junior forward finished the first 20 minutes of play with 14 points and added six rebounds. Welsh and Clarke collected 15 and 11 points, respectively. The backcourt duo combined to go five-for-seven from behind the three-point line in the first half.

Clarke’s trey with 10:35 remaining in the first half stretched the Arkansas lead into double digits, 21-9.

Arkansas, using full-court pressure midway through the half, forced a Campbellsville turnover with a 10-second call at the 9:22 mark. The turnover was part of a 10-2 run topped by a floater in the lane by Clarke in transition. With the bucket, the Razorbacks pulled ahead, 34-14.

Back-to-back three pointers from Clarke and Welsh made the score 40-16. After the lead dipped below 20 on a three-point basket by the Tigers’ Trey Harris, Clarke was fouled while attempting a three pointer of his own. The freshman guard made all three free throws and the Razorback led, 43-21.

Welsh scored the half’s final five points inside the final minute before intermission, including his third three pointer of the half and a baseline jumper with one second left on the clock. The 12-foot basket gave the Razorbacks a 25-point advantage, their largest of the first half.

Arkansas knocked in 56.3 percent of its first-half shots while holding Campbellsville to seven-of-28 shooting, a 25 percent clip. As a team, the Razorbacks connected on six of their 13 three-point attempts and out rebounded their opponents, 23-17.

The Razorbacks took a 52-27 lead into halftime.