PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) Daryl Macon scored a season-high 27 points, Jaylen Barford added 19 and Arkansas remained unbeaten, holding off Oklahoma 92-83 on Thursday in the opening round of the PK80 Invitational.
Daniel Gafford added 13 points for the Razorbacks (4-0), including a 17-footer with 1:01 remaining for a four-point lead. Oklahoma missed twice on its next possession and Gafford added two more free throws to clinch Arkansas’s second 4-0 start in the past 11 seasons.
The Razorbacks will face North Carolina on Friday.
Freshman Trae Young led the Sooners (2-1) with 28 points, but Oklahoma had just one field goal in a five-minute span late in the game. Oklahoma also went cold from behind the 3-point line hitting just 2 of 12 attempts in the second half. Christian James added 13 points and Khadeem Lattin had 10 for the Sooners.
Arkansas was able to slow down Oklahoma’s scoring onslaught to open the season. After scoring 108 points in each of their first two games, the Sooners shot 47 percent overall and just 42 percent in the second half. The Sooners were shooting 56 percent through their first two games.
Macon tied his career-high with six 3-pointers. It was his sixth 3 with 7:25 left that gave Arkansas a 72-67 lead. For a brief period, Young tried to rally the Sooners by himself. He scored seven straight points, capped by a 35-foot 3-pointer to pull the Sooners within 76-74. The teams proceeded to exchange free throws for the next three minutes. Dustin Thomas split a pair to give Arkansas an 83-79 lead. The Razorbacks were unable to take advantage of a careless Oklahoma turnover and Young’s free throws with 1:29 left cut the deficit to two. But Gafford was open on the baseline and with the shot clock dwindling hit a 17-footer to push the lead back to 85-81.
THE TAKEAWAY
Arkansas: The Razorbacks were 9 of 18 on 3-pointers but started the game 7 of 8 from behind the arc. Arkansas was shooting 37 percent on 3s.
Oklahoma: The Sooners missed their first six 3-point attempts to start the second half after making 6 of 17 3s in the first half. Young and Jordan Shepherd were the only ones to make 3s in the second half.
UP NEXT
Arkansas: The Razorbacks will face No. 9 North Carolina on Friday.
Oklahoma: The Sooners will take on Portland on Friday.
