FAYETTEVILLE — Mason Jones scored 20 points and Desi Sills added 18 to lead Arkansas to a 78-67 win over TCU in a Big 12/SEC Challenge game on Saturday.
The Razorbacks (15-4) led for the final 35 minutes of the game, though TCU didn’t trail by double digits until late in the second half. Sills’ 11 points in the first half helped open the lead and Jones, the team’s leading scorer on the season, had all but one of his 20 in the second half to help keep it.
“Thought it was our best game of the year on both sides of the ball,” Arkansas coach Eric Musselman said. “Tonight, we said the only way we were going to win was to play with incredible energy. I don’t think anyone who came into the arena tonight would say anything different.”
TCU (13-6) committed 13 turnovers in the first half, leading to nine Arkansas points and a 33-29 lead for the Razorbacks at halftime. Arkansas also stifled the Horned Frogs’ leading scorer Desmond Bane, who averaged 17.2 points entering Saturday, by limiting him to just eight points.
“The turnovers. The turnovers killed us,” TCU coach Jamie Dixon said. “I can’t even keep track of the travel calls. We had three carries called. We had two three-second calls. That is a first for me.”
Arkansas made 6 of 9 from 3-point range despite missing Isaiah Joe, who ranked ninth in the nation in 3-point field goals (67), with knee inflammation.
The Horned Frogs were led by Kevin Samuel, who scored 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting and grabbed 18 rebounds. The rest of the TCU roster shot just 15 of 38 for 39%.
Jimmy Whitt Jr. gave Arkansas a third scorer in double figures, tying Jones with 20.
BIG PICTURE
TCU was coming off a win against No. 18 Texas Tech, but has now lost three of its last four.
Arkansas bolstered its NCAA Tournament resume with its third nonconference win over a Power Five team this season. The Razorbacks also beat Indiana and Georgia Tech before their conference season began.
MISSING JOE
Joe entered Saturday as the sixth leading scorer in the SEC and his absence altered the starting lineup. Sills came off the bench for the first time this season as Jalen Harris, who was a starter last year, rejoined the starting lineup for the first time since then. Musselman said there was no timetable for Joe’s return.
THIRD TIME NO CHARM
Musselman hasn’t lost three games in a row in his college coaching career, dating back to 2015-16. Arkansas had dropped consecutive games to Kentucky and Mississippi State before beating TCU.
UP NEXT
TCU is back to Big 12 play Wednesday when it hosts Texas.
Arkansas will host South Carolina on Wednesday in its return to conference play in the SEC.
EARLIER
Arkansas 78, TCU 67 - Final
Behind big afternoons from Jimmy Whitt, Desi Sills and Mason Jones, Arkansas bounced back from losses to Kentucky and Mississippi State with a win over the Horned Frogs, giving the SEC a win in the conference challenge.
Whitt finished with 20 points, Jones added 20 and Sills poured in 18 big points off the bench on an efficient 7 of 8 from the floor, including 3 of 3 beyond the arc.
Jalen Harris also chipped in a season-high six assists, bringing him to 21 dimes this month versus four turnovers.
TCU's leading scorer entering this weekend, Desmond Bane, scored just 8 points. Forward Kevin Samuel, however, recorded a double-double with 24 points and 18 rebounds.
We'll have more from today's game later on WholeHogSports.com.
Arkansas 71, TCU 58 - 3:25 left
Mason Jones has more or less taken over on the offensive end for the Razorbacks of late. He scores six straight points for Arkansas before Jalen Harris hit Jimmy Whitt for a layup late in the shot clock.
Harris has been really good today, too. He's got a season-high six assists.
Jimmy Whitt leads the Razorbacks with 20 points, Desi Sills has 18 and Mason Jones 17 - 16 in the second half.
Arkansas 63, TCU 50 - 7:41 left
I know I've mentioned him time and time again today, but Desi Sills has been simply terrific.
The sophomore has 18 points today, tying him with Jimmy Whitt for the team lead, and he's done is so efficiently. Sills is 7 of 8 from the floor and 3 of 3 from deep. The 18 points are his most since adding 20 at Western Kentucky in December.
Sills buried his third 3 from the right corner in transition, then came back moments later and added a layup on Jalen Harris' fifth assist. TCU fell asleep defensively for about two minutes, and the Razorbacks made it pay.
Arkansas 54, TCU 46 - 9:36 left
After the timeout, TCU coach Jamie Dixon was hit with a technical foul at a really inopportune time for the Horned Frogs. The shot clock had wound down to 7 and Jimmy Whitt was dribbling around the perimeter.
Mason Jones hit both technical free throws to extend Arkansas' lead.
Arkansas 51, TCU 46 - 11:24 left
Desi Sills has just been so, so good today. He is up to 13 points on 5 of 6 from the floor and 2 of 2 beyond the arc after getting a floater late in the shot clock to bounce around a drop. Arkansas has outscored TCU by six with him on the floor.
The Horned Frogs, who fell behind by nine a few minutes ago, are hanging around thanks to a 6-2 run over the last 2:18. Desmond Bane has a team-high six points since halftime.
Arkansas 49, TCU 40 - 14:12 left
After TCU pulled up and missed a left-wing 3 in transition, Mason Jones quickly found Adrio Bailey for a layup and the foul on the other end. He made the free throw as well, giving Arkansas its largest lead of the day.
Bailey has seven points, six rebounds today.
Arkansas 46, TCU 39 - 15:06 left
The teams traded buckets between the timeouts. Jimmy Whitt scored for the seventh time today, bringing him to a game-high 16 points.
Arkansas has assisted on five of six scores in the second half. That's a great number.
Adrio Bailey now up to three rebounds this half, and six for the game. Prior to the break, it looked as if he stuffed 6-11 forward Kevin Samuel's dunk attempt, but he was whistled for his first foul instead.
Arkansas 44, TCU 37 - 17:01 left
Great offensive start to the second half. Mason Jones has knocked down a 3 and a long stepback 2 to get back in a rhythm. He has six points.
Reggie Chaney has added two buckets since the break, too, both in the last 30 seconds. Jalen Harris found Chaney twice around the rim, once for a dunk, then for a layup, forcing Jamie Dixon to burn a timeout. Three of Harris' four assists have come in the opening 2:59.
Adrio Bailey rebounding the ball well since halftime as well, skying for a couple boards.
Desmond Bane finally scored for TCU, hitting two 3s. He's got six for the game.
Arkansas 33, TCU 29 - Half
Desi Sills and Jimmy Whitt combined for 23 points in the first half on 9 of 13 from the floor. They were terrific. The rest of the Razorbacks, not so much.
Mason Jones finished with just one point on a split at the foul line. He essentially sat the final 10-plus minutes of the half after picking up his second foul. Jalen Harris added five early points and Adrio Bailey chipped in four.
With Joe and Jones out of the lineup, the Razorbacks went away from the 3-ball. Arkansas finished the half with just four attempts, hitting three. Sills has two of his own.
Eric Musselman isn't going to like seeing nine first-half turnovers, but the Razorbacks held Horned Frogs leading scorer Desmond Bane scoreless. He was hit with this second foul with two-plus minutes remaining in the half.
TCU 6-11 forward Kevin Samuel, though, is holding it down. He's got 16 points, eight rebounds and a pair of blocks. Jaire Grayer and Diante Smith also have five points.
The Frogs are shooting 45.8 percent from the floor, but 2 of 8 from deep. Razorbacks doing a decent job recognizing perimeter threats. We'll see if they can maintain that.
Arkansas 28, TCU 23 - 2:46 left first half
Following the last break in the action, Jimmy Whitt added another score on a sweet pullup jumper following ballscreen from Jeantal Cylla. Adrio Bailey also got a layup to go. He has four points and two boards.
Whitt is up to eight points on 4 of 6 shooting after a semi-slow start. He will be at the line when play resumes. He was fouled attempting a midrange jumper on the left side of the floor.
Whitt and Desi Sills have combined for 18 of Arkansas' 28 points so far.
Arkansas 24, TCU 17 - 5:03 left first half
Arkansas is on a 6-0 run over the last 1:41 and has its largest lead of the day.
Jimmy Whitt and Desi Sills again providing the offense during the run. Whitt buried short jumpers from just outside the block on each side of the lane. Sills also added a really tough layup in transition.
Sills has a team-high 10 points. He scored just six total against Kentucky and Mississippi State.
Arkansas 18, TCU 17 - 7:45 left first half
Jimmy Whitt and Desi Sills provided scores for Arkansas between media timeouts. Whitt flashed at the top of the key and came up with a steal, finishing on the other end with a dunk for his first bucket.
Sills then added probably his best score so far, shot faking a couple of TCU defenders off their feet on the left wing then driving to the rim and finishing through contact from 6-11 Horned Frogs forward Kevin Samuel. Sills plays and attacks the rim as if he's 6-6 or 6-7. He's been very impressive.
Samuel is up to 11 points and six rebounds for TCU. Desmond Bane, the Frogs' leading scorer, is scoreless 12-plus minutes in.
Arkansas 14, TCU 11 - 11:50 left first half
Good defensive stretch for the Razorbacks there. TCU did not score between media timeouts, missed its only attempt and has committed three turnovers in the last 3-plus minutes.
Desi Sills is playing very well today. He's got a team-high six points, just hit his second 3 of the game and has two steals. He is a team-best plus-7 in his seven minutes. Great energy from him so far.
TCU 11, Arkansas 10 - 14:31 left first half
Jalen Harris and Desi Sills have scored eight of Arkansas' 10 points so far. Harris knocked down a 3 from the left wing, giving him 10 on the season, then cleaned up a Sills missed layup following a steal. He's got a team-high five.
Sills buried his first 3 of the game, too, a left-corner triple. He also has two steals since entering the game for Reggie Chaney less than two minutes in.
Adrio Bailey connected on a midrange jumper from the right short corner. He's knocked down at least one jumpshot in each of the last three games now.
Kevin Samuel, the 6-11 forward for TCU, has a game-high eight points on 4 of 4 shooting.
TCU 4, Arkansas 0 - 18:49 left first half
Not a great start for Reggie Chaney. He traveled on his first touch in the lane today, then missed a contested attempt in the lane. Eric Musselman calls for time and inserts Desi Sills for Chaney.
Pregame
Arkansas' starting lineup: Mason Jones, Jimmy Whitt, Jalen Harris, Reggie Chaney and Adrio Bailey.
Some pre-game news of note: sophomore guard Isaiah Joe will not play due to a knee injury. According to a release, Eric Musselman says Joe experienced knee inflammation following the Ole Miss game and reaggravated his knee late in the loss at Mississippi State on Wednesday.
Chaney and Harris will join the starting lineup for the first time this season, and Desi Sills will come off the bench for the first time since Feb. 20, 2019 - a span of 26 games. This lineup has played just 8 offensive and defensive possession together this season, according to HoopLens analytics.
This will be Chaney's first start since Jan. 19, 2019 at Ole Miss. Harris started each game in 2018-19.
TCU's starters: Desmond Bane (6-6), RJ Nembhard (6-5), Kevin Samuel (6-11), Edric Dennis (6-3) and Diante Smith (6-7).
Bane is TCU's go-to offensive weapon, and he scored a game-high 27 points against the Red Raiders earlier this week in a home win. Bane has taken 25.5 percent of the Horned Frogs' shots when on the floor this season and is shooting 43.5 percent from 3-point range - 49 percent in Big 12 play.
TCU is impressive defensively, too, and will challenge Arkansas on that end, especially without Joe. It holds a defensive efficiency rating of 92.3 for the season, which ranks 34th nationally, per KenPom. That mark is aided by a turnover rate of 23.5 percent. Bane leads the team in steal rate as well.
Samuel is the big man to keep an eye on. He ranks in the top 50 nationally in defensive rebound rate at 13.6 percent. Samuel has a pair of double-doubles in Big 12 play, and finished with 11 and 11 against Texas Tech.
Running updates by Scottie Bordelon of WholeHogSports.com