FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas used one big run to beat North Dakota State 71-55 on Tuesday night at Walton Arena before an announced crowd of 8,621.
The Razorbacks (10-1) extended their winning streak to seven games since losing at Minnesota, and they improved to 9-0 at home.
"I was excited to see guys come out and find a way to win," Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said. "It wasn't our best game, but you'll take a 16-point win at home any day when you ain't playing your best.
"So let's see if we can continue to build on this. I thought we got better."
North Dakota State (8-5) was doing a good job of controlling the tempo and had tied the game 29-29 with 17:52 left when Carlin Dupree was credited with a basket on a goaltending call against Arkansas center Moses Kingsley.
The Razorbacks then took control of the game by outscoring the Bison 16-0 over a 4:12 span -- including eight points by senior guard Dusty Hannahs -- to take a 45-29 lead with 13:06 left.
"I thought we competed for a good stretch," North Dakota State Coach David Richman said. "Then they just gapped it like they can in that four- or five-minute stretch, and it was too much for us to overcome."
Junior guard Jaylen Barford started Arkansas' run with a driving layup on a fast break after Hannahs' steal.
Hannahs hit back-to-back three-pointers to push the lead to 37-29.
Junior guard Daryl Macon hit a three-pointer and Kingsley scored on a three-point play. Hannahs finished the run with a 15-foot jump shot.
Kingsley, a 6-10 senior, said the Razorbacks were confident they would put together a run to pull away.
"We knew it was coming," Kingsley said. "We just had to get some stops, and that's what we did."
The Bison went 5:12 without scoring -- shooting 0 of 7 from the field with a turnover -- before junior guard Paul Miller hit two free throws to cut Arkansas' lead to 45-31 with 12:38 left. North Dakota State didn't pull closer than 11 points the rest of the game.
"When you're not scoring, a team like Arkansas really makes you pay," Richman said. "They're pushing it and getting easy buckets on the other end."
Anderson gathered the Razorbacks around him on the court before the start of the second half with Arkansas leading 27-21.
"The pace of the game was really to their liking," Anderson said. "It was really slow."
Anderson said he told his players they had to inject some energy into the arena to wake up the fans.
"We've got these people in here, and it was boring," Anderson said. "It was boring for me. Hell, let's pick it up, and I thought we did a better job in the second half."
Macon led the Razorbacks with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Kingsley had 11 points and eight rebounds. Hannahs and junior guard Anton Beard scored 11 points each.
"They've just got a good team," Richman said. "They run 10, 11 at you. They've got great parts."
Miller led North Dakota State with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 2 steals.
The Razorbacks had 16 turnovers, including nine in the first half.
"I felt we came out flat," Kingsley said. "It's not like they were pressing us, but we weren't being smart with the ball and weren't aggressive enough.
"We kind of picked it up in the second half, but we can't have that starting. We need to do better next game."
Anderson said he was concerned about how the Razorbacks would play coming off an emotional 77-74 victory over Texas in Houston on Saturday.
"Let's give North Dakota State a lot of credit as being feisty and not going away," Anderson said. "They were not expected to win, but I told our guys, 'This is one of those games you are going to have to grind it out.' "
Anderson said the Razorbacks did a good job of playing with a greater sense of urgency in the second half, but he was upset about the turnovers even though Arkansas held North Dakota State to 33.3 percent shooting (18 of 54) for the game.
"To me, the glaring thing that took place was the turnovers and the kind of turnovers that we had," Anderson said. "It was the unforced, nonchalant kind of turnovers, and we can't afford to do that.
"That's a cause for concern, but we can fix that."
Richman said he was impressed by the Razorbacks.
"I think they've got a real chance to do something this year," he said. "There's a toughness about them. They've got tremendous chemistry."
Game sketch
RECORDS Arkansas 10-1. North Dakota State 8-5 STARS Arkansas junior guard Daryl Macon (15 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) and senior center Moses Kingsley (11 points, 8 rebounds) TURNING POINT The Razorbacks outscored the Bison 16-0 over a 4:12 span to take a 45-29 lead with 13:06 left. KEY STAT Arkansas outscored South Dakota State 16-5 in second-chance points. UP NEXT Arkansas plays Sam Houston State at 7 p.m. Thursday at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock.
— Bob Holt
Sports on 12/21/2016