NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Arkansas senior guard Manny Watkins played 21 minutes off the bench at Vanderbilt on Tuesday after being limited to two minutes in the previous game because of an illness.
“Manuale was so big for us,” Razorbacks Coach Mike Anderson said after the Razorbacks rallied to beat Vanderbilt 71-70. “I don’t know if people understand that, because it’s not about the scoring.”
Watkins was 1 of 3 from the field, hitting a short jumper with 2:57 left to pull Arkansas within 63-58, but he also helped fuel the comeback by:
Intercepting a pass from Riley LaChance at the 5:51 mark that led to a three-point play by Moses Kingsley.
Tipping a Luke Kornet pass that Jaylen Barford stole with 10 seconds left.
Running down a loose ball and shoveling it to Daryl Macon, who was fouled and hit three game-winning free throws with 1.6 seconds left.
“He just made one shot, but think of all the other things he did,” Anderson said. “It was great to have him back.”