Chris Lykes went 12-for-12 at the foul line to boost himself to a game-high 21 points as Arkansas had little trouble putting away Elon 81-55 on Tuesday in Fayetteville, Ark.
JD Notae and Kamani Johnson each finished with 15 points and seven rebounds while Jaxson Robinson scored 14 points for Arkansas (10-2), which broke a two-game losing skid.
The Razorbacks took the lead for good during a 17-0 run to end the first half, which was powered by Robinson’s three 3-pointers and four points from Lykes. That surge put them ahead 38-26 at halftime after Elon (3-10) led by as many as five.
For Elon, Michael Graham led with 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting while grabbing six boards. Darius Burford chipped in 12 points for the Phoenix.
Arkansas dominated the glass 41-27 and outscored Elon in fast-break points 19-1.
The Razorbacks also took advantage of Elon’s 23 personal fouls, finishing the night 29-for-35 on free throws. That was especially useful in the second half, when Arkansas went 21-for-26 from the stripe.
Arkansas used runs of 9-0 and 8-0 to boost their lead early in the second half, with the majority of their points coming from the free-throw line. Another quick 8-0 spurt sparked by Notae’s 3-pointer put the Razorbacks ahead by 30 with 7:08 to play.
Elon responded by rattling off the game’s next 13 points to delay the Arkansas runaway. Torrence Watson and Kris Wooten sank 3-pointers 26 seconds apart to begin the run.
But the Razorbacks finished game on an 11-2 run to punctuate the night.
Both teams made eight 3-pointers. The game was decided at the foul line, where Elon went a mere 5-for-9.
Arkansas grabbed its first win in two weeks, following a 22-point defeat to Oklahoma and an eight-point upset loss to Hofstra.
–Field Level Media
