Hogs Force Season-High 24 Turnovers In Win Over Northwestern State

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) -Sonny Weems scored a season-high 21 points to lead Arkansas to a 90-59 victory Wednesday night over Northwestern State.

The Razorbacks (9-2) dominated both ends of the court, outrebounding Northwestern 42-30 and scoring 31 points off 24 Northwestern turnovers.

Arkansas’ Patrick Beverley was credited with five steals, hit 2-of-3 from long distance and finished with 16 points after four low-scoring games. Darian Townes scored 17 and Charles Thomas had 11.

The Razorbacks began the game with a flurry of offense and built a quick 9-2 lead on the way to a 45-25 margin at the half.

Midway through the first half, Weems – a 6-foot-6 forward with a vertical jump greater than 32 inches – took a lob pass from Townes for a slam dunk. Seconds later, while on defense at midcourt, Weems stole the ball and made an uncontested, one-handed dunk.

Northwestern State (4-8) never established a rhythm offensively, making only 37 percent of its shots from the floor. Many times when a Northwestern player drove the lane for a shot, it either rimmed out of the basket or was blocked by Arkansas center Steven Hill, who was credited with a season-high four blocks.

Arkansas began the second half with an 8-0 run to build a 53-25 lead, capped by a 3-pointer and a layup from Beverley in just 30 seconds.

Leading Northwestern’s offense were Trey Gilder with 17 points and Jerry Moody with 12.

The Razorbacks face Appalachian State on Saturday at 2:05 in Alltel Arena in North Little Rock. The game will be televised by ARSN.