FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas came out fighting from the opening tip and took it to another level in overtime to upend No. 22 Kentucky on Wednesday night at Walton Arena.
“I wanted us to swing,” Arkansas Coach John Pelphrey said. “I wanted us to throw haymakers. I wanted to go at them and be an aggressive, aggressive basketball team.”
The Razorbacks opened the game, played before a season-high crowd of 14,073, with just that attitude, building leads of as much as eight points in the opening half.
“Arkansas deserved to win the game,” Kentucky Coach John Calipari said. “They fought, they played with more aggressiveness. ... They hustled and beat us to balls. That’s why we got beat.”
Sophomore forward Marshawn Powell, who had 5 points on 2-of-5 shooting and 3 rebounds in the Razorbacks’ loss at Alabama on Saturday, played perhaps his best game of the season. Powell had 22 points on 9-of-19 shooting and grabbed 5 offensive boards among his season-high total of 10 rebounds.
“Powell just killed us,”Calipari said. “Powell outplayed the guy playing him. He outroughed him, outrebounded him. He just went right at him.”
Calipari was referring mostly to freshman Terrence Jones, who had a couple of key blocked shots on Powell but finished with only 10 points and eight rebounds.
Powell scored six consecutive points during one stretch in the first half, had two three point plays, and added an offensive rebound and put back for the Hogs’ first points in overtime.
“He played great,” Arkansas guard Rotnei Clarke said. “That’s what we expect from him every game.”
Arkansas center Delvon Johnson played through considerable pain from the hippointer he sustained Saturday and contributed 6 points and 7 rebounds in 34 minutes.
“I don’t know if you realize how courageous he was tonight,” Pelphrey said. “The kid was in here at 5:30 this morning getting treatment. Most college kids are just getting in at 5:30.
“Anybody else I’d have said no way they play. That kid embodies the Razorback way.”
Arkansas, which grabbed 22 offensive rebounds, had the lead on the boards for most of the game before a late Kentucky surge gave the Wildcats a final 46-43 edge.
“We might have outrebounded them, but when it came down the stretch I know I gave up a critical rebound at the end,” Kentucky forward Josh Harrellson said. “We played pretty good, but they played with us the whole game.
“I thought we had them worn down, but they just found energy and fought back and they came up with the victory. They’re a better team than most people think.”
Sports, Pages 22 on 02/24/2011