COMMENTARY: Rot's shots lift Hogs in topsy-turvy night

Rotnei Clarke celebrates Tuesday night after Arkansas' 66-62 win in overtime over Missouri State at Bud Walton Arena. Clarke scored Arkansas' final 12 points to lift the Razorbacks.
Rotnei Clarke celebrates Tuesday night after Arkansas' 66-62 win in overtime over Missouri State at Bud Walton Arena. Clarke scored Arkansas' final 12 points to lift the Razorbacks.

— It was Rot’s shot, and he wasn’t going to let Arkansas down Tuesday night at Bud Walton Arena.

Rotnei Clarke scored the Razorbacks’ final 12 points in regulation and overtime to lift Arkansas to a 66-62 win over previously undefeated Missouri State (10-1) in front of a season-high crowd of 10,853.

After grabbing the game-clinching defensive rebound with 1.7 seconds remaining, Clarke pounded his chest with his right fist and high-fived three fans sitting courtside.

All of this after Clarke hit a 3-pointer with 18 seconds remaining to give Arkansas a 64-62 advantage off a staggered screen set by Marshawn Powell and Glenn Bryant.

“Big shots. He takes them and he makes them,” Missouri State Coach Cuonzo Martin said. “... He's got a big-time stroke on him.”

Clarke hit his last four shots after hitting two of his first eight attempts in the first 38 minutes. It was almost as if Coach John Pelphrey knew Arkansas would win the game as long as Clarke had the ball in his hands for the final shot.

Well, maybe not.

“I was thinking that if we could get him loose and he can get one off, he has a great chance of making it,” Pelphrey said. “He spoils us. If he gets one off, you feel like it's going in and you're kind of surprised when it doesn't. The big question is, can he get any room to get one off? Fortunately for us tonight, it came at the right time.”

Arkansas (7-5) could have won it with Clarke’s curl off the baseline which resulted in a jumper just inside the free-throw line with 4.7 seconds remaining in regulation. The 59-57 advantage didn’t last, however, as Justin Fuehrmeyer found a wide-open Caleb Patterson underneath the basket for a layup at the buzzer.

The entire night, which ended with an evacuation of Walton Arena as a fire alarm sounded during Pelphrey's post-game press conference, was a bit topsy-turvy.

The Hogs blew an 11-point lead in the second half in a game of seven ties and five lead changes. And Clarke got his hot-streak going after he committed a turnover — yes, a turnover — with 1:47 remaining in regulation.

Three seconds later, Clarke intercepted a pass from Jermaine Mallett, drove back to the 3-point line and hit a 3-pointer to put Arkansas ahead 57-54 with 1:39 remaining.

“That was just what the doctor ordered because we needed a bucket there,” Pelphrey said after he was allowed to re-enter Bud Walton Arena after the false fire alarm. “... It was just two teams going back and forth there for a second. It was probably pretty exciting for the fans. It was gut-wrenching for the coaches.”

Most importantly, it was the start of his 12-point outburst.

“If I would have missed that 3, I probably would have been even more frustrated,” Clarke said. “But luckily it went down. It felt good to get back what I turned over.”

Pelphrey and his players didn’t hesitate to show some excitement near the end of the game as the game’s MVP, Clarke, high-fived fans.

Arkansas matched Missouri State’s intensity, especially defensively. Adam Leonard, who had hit 48.2 percent of his shots coming into the game, connected on 2-of-17 shot attempts against the Razorbacks.

And Glenn Bryant pulled down 11 crucial rebounds and blocked two shots. Eight of his rebounds came on the defensive glass, including six in the first half.

“I think he won the game for us,” Clarke said. “When he came in, he brought so much intensity and toughness. Obviously he plays hard every possession that he goes. He did everything for us.”

“He played harder than he has and you saw some of his talent,” Pelphrey said. “ I thought his focus — his ability to understand what we needed to get done defensively — was better. Glenn needs to keep making progress and when he gets another 10 to 15 pounds on him with his God-given ability, he's going to have a chance to be a very good player. We don't win tonight without him.”

Especially with forward Michael Washington on the bench after fouling out with 2:32 remaining in regulation.

It was up to Arkansas’ newcomers, along with Clarke, to make up for the loss of the big man on the bench.

Washington, who seemed to be back after scoring 47 points in the last two games, logged 19 minutes and scored 7 points because of his foul trouble.

Meanwhile, Marshawn Powell filled in down low with 17 poiints as five newcomers gave Arkansas a 29-point effort.

That kind of effort, especially on defense, is why, Pelphrey says, the Hogs showed a lot of excitement after the game.

“I look out there a lot of times and I see how many first-year players that are out there,” Pelphrey explained. “And even Rot's a sophomore.

“I'm just proud of those guys the way they compete. Tonight, with having a chance to make it five in a row against a good opponent before the break, that was good. I was very, very happy for those guys.”

With a five-game winning streak in tow, call it an early Christmas present, Bryant said.

“When you compete and you show some heart, especially in this building — because it really is a special place to play — you've got a chance,” Pelphrey said. “That's a great place to start.”

Brandon Marcello is the online sports editor for WholeHogSports.com. He can be reached at [email protected].

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