Second-half push leads Razorbacks to win

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – Michael Washington scored a career-high 34 points, and Arkansas went on a 21-2 run in the second half to pull away for a 86-75 win over North Texas on Saturday. Stefan Welsh added 19 points for Arkansas (11-1), which won its ninth straight. Washington also added 11 rebounds.

The Razorbacks had four players in double digits. Freshmen guards Courtney Fortson and Rotnei Clarke added 12 and 11 points, respectively. Fortson had nine assists against the Mean Green, his fifth game of the season with at least that many. The double-double effort for Washington was his sixth of the season.

In the second half, Arkansas connected on 16 of its 30 shots (53.3 percent) and limited North Texas to 33.3 percent shooting from the field. The Mean Green had knocked in 55.6 percent of its shots in the opening 20 minutes. The Razorbacks were outrebounded for just the second time this season.

Dominique Johnson scored 15 points for North Texas (8-6).

The game was played at Alltel Arena, just across the Arkansas River from Little Rock. The Fayetteville-based Razorbacks had lost five of their previous seven games at Alltel.

They trailed 42-40 at halftime and would have been down more if not for Washington. The 6-foot-9 junior scored 12 straight Arkansas points in one stretch and finished the half with 21.

Arkansas returns to Bud Walton Arena for a Tuesday contest against Texas. The game is scheduled for a 8:05 p.m. tip and will be televised by ESPN2. For more information, visit ArkansasRazorbacks.com.