Arkansas freshman Marshawn Powell is fouled while going to basket by Delaware State sophomore James Marcellus during the first half of the Razorbacks' 71-53 win Monday at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.
Photo by Jason Ivester
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas’ attendance numbers may be low, but at least the Razorbacks are improving its production off the bench.
With only one player missing from the fold, Arkansas got a balanced night from its reserves and the Razorbacks found their shooting touch in the second half of a 71-53 win Monday night over Delaware State.
The estimated crowd of 6,628 was the second-lowest of the seven games at home this season for the Razorbacks, who connected on a season-high 66 percent from the field.
“Definitely we’d like to see more fans in the stands and maybe that’s our job to get them in here,” said sophomore guard Rotnei Clarke, who hit four 3-pointers and scored 14 points. “... With everything that’s gone on, it’s been tough.”
Suspensions kept Arkansas’ bench depleted early this season, but the Razorbacks have been near full strength in their last two wins.
Sophomore point guard Courtney Fortson remains suspended indefinitely, even if he did mysteriously show up on ESPN.com’s GameCast, a play-by-play account of the game, with a three-pointer Monday night.
While Arkansas (4-5) did hit 81 percent of its field goals in the second half, it seemed difficult for fans to get up and cheer.
The small crowd came to life with 16:35 remaining in the game after a jumpball was awarded to Arkansas. It was the loudest the crowd had been all night in what had been an ugly and slow-paced game. Five seconds later, Julysses Nobles committed a turnover and the crowd sat back down in its seats, again looking for something to cheer for down the stretch.
They found it, though, just a few minutes later as the Hornets started missing shots. Marshawn Powell also came back to life, getting a couple of free throws, a layup on a 360-degree turn in the lane and a nice assist on a Michael Washington dunk to help Arkansas build a 60-38 lead.
Delaware State (4-3) missed 12 of 14 shots during the stretch.
Perhaps most important for Arkansas and its hope for success in the future was the spark off the bench Monday. Guards Stef Welsh and Marcus Britt combined for 12 points, seven rebounds and eight assists off the bench.
And 32 percent of Arkansas’ points came from its six reserves.
“It’s good to have two guys like that over there to be able to come off (the bench),” Coach John Pelphrey said. “We haven’t had that very much.
“... When we’re not all playing great, it’s good to have somebody to turn to.”
Arkansas’ bench, chemistry and production can all be connected the Razorbacks’ low numbers in the stands. It’s only been in the last week the Razorbacks have started to show a slight turn in the right direction. A 37-point win over Mississippi Valley State, which included 35 points off a five-man bench, was the spark Saturday.
On Monday night, the on-the-court issues hit a high point — even if it wasn’t necessarily the most exciting night on offense or defense for the Razorbacks against a Hornets team that likes to slow the tempo and milk the clock.
On several possessions every Razorback touched the ball. Powell came alive underneath the basket, catching the ball in the paint rather than working his way outside the lane on one or two dribbles. As a result, Powell scored a game-high 21 points and grabbed 9 rebounds.
“I’m trying to play as physical as possible,” Powell said. “I found myself earlier in the season fading away and getting away from my game — the reason why they recruited me to come here. I’m just trying to get back to it — doing work on the block.”
Powell improved that part of his game Monday, and now Arkansas gets eight days to concentrate on semester exams, fix a few more things in practice and get its legs rested before returning to the grind.
They’ll most likely be without Fortson, though, when they return to the court.
Arkansas will need more production from its bench if it would like to extend its first winning streak of two games since January.
And hopefully bump up the attendance in a cavernous Bud Walton Arena.
Several good teams remain on the non-conference schedule, including a surprising and undefeated Missouri State team, which defeated Arkansas last season.
The Bears, averaging a healthy 6,164 fans a game at home, travel to Fayetteville on Dec. 22.
Arkansas, on the other hand, has averaged a paltry 6,825 in its 19,200-seat arena.
Newcomers like Powell, though, don’t see the low numbers as a negative. Powell, accustomed to playing in front of 40 fans in prep school, chuckled.
“It’s big to me,” he said.
Asked for his opinion on the low attendance numbers, Pelphrey instead opted to share his love of the arena and the Razorback logo at midcourt.
Then he was asked to address the real question — the fact that attendance at Bud Walton Arena is at its lowest mark since its opening in 1993.
“All I can tell you,” Pelphrey said, “is how incredible the people of this state are with the way they support this program.”
Maybe, as Clarke said, it’s up to the Razorbacks to get more wins and fans in the stands.
Brandon Marcello is the online editor of WholeHogSports.com.
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