Arkansas edged out No. 15 Missouri, 92-85, on Saturday to give the Tigers their fifth loss in SEC play. Here are four thoughts as the final buzzer went off.
Paint defense
Without center Josh Gray, who didn't travel to Fayetteville, Arkansas, due to illness, the Tigers struggled to stop big-man Zvonimir Ivisic -- who scored 20 points -- and the Razorbacks in the paint. Arkansas scored 44 points from that short range.
Turnovers
Missouri committed 12 turnovers in the first half and still led at the buzzer: 48-41. The Razorbacks scored 17 points off those, and when the second half rolled around, Arkansas kept that number in double digits with 13 points off six turnovers. Tigers forward Mark Mitchell was tagged with a team-leading six in 31 minutes.
First-half bench scoring
Jacob Crews, Caleb Grill and Marques Warrick kept Missouri alive in the first half. The three bench scorers combined for 33 points, as Grill looked to be the anchor of the offense early on with 13 in the box score. The Tigers received 15 total points from their starting five in the first.
Crews played efficient, and Warrick looked like he was taking over stretches for Missouri as a spark plug on offense. Yet the trio went nearly quiet in the second half, as Grill missed all seven of his 3-point attempts. Warrick attempted to keep Missouri in late with two 3-pointers in the final two minutes.
Rebounding without Josh Gray
With Gray out, Missouri turned early to freshman center Peyton Marshall off the bench, but a turnover and four fouls limited his efforts on the glass. Marshall, who picked up two boards, played just four minutes as the only active center Saturday.
The Tigers still out rebounded the Razorbacks and a 7-foot-2 Ivisic by 12 in the first half, limiting Arkansas to one offensive board. The home five came out in the second half more motivated in the paint, picking up 20 rebounds, seven on offense.
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