LSU coach John Brady said before Saturday’s game against the University of Arkansas Razorbacks that a final score in the mid- or high-60s would be most favorable for his team to win. Apparently no one relayed Brady’s message to the Arkansas locker room. The Razorbacks (13-6, 2-2) led by a baker’s dozen at halftime en route to a 72-52 upset of the No. 16 LSU Tigers (13-5, 2-2) in front of 18,976 fans in Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville. Arkansas entered the game in desperate need of a Southeastern Conference victory after its 88-61 upset of the University of Alabama on Jan. 6. The Razorbacks lost the three games following their victory against the Crimson Tide by a total of 12 points. Arkansas used multiple zone defenses throughout the contest and forced LSU into long jump shots and poor shot selection for most of the game. The Tigers shot 35 percent for the game and scored less than 70 points for the sixth consecutive game. The Razorbacks came into the game No. 10 in the conference in 3-point field goal percentage but connected on 8-of-20 shots from behind the 3-point line. Arkansas out-rebounded the Tigers, 37-31, and outscored LSU in the paint, 30-22. Only two players scored in double figures for LSU. Junior forward Glen Davis led the way with 16 points and eight rebounds, and sophomore transfer guard Terry Martin added 10 points on 3-for-13 shooting from the field. Sophomore forward Tasmin Mitchell, who entered the game as the Tigers’ second-leading scorer, had only six points on 3-for-11 shooting. Junior center Steven Hill notched a career high in points for the second-straight game, scoring 16 points to lead the Razorbacks. Junior guard Sonny Weems, who entered the game 0-for-10 from behind the arc in three SEC games this season, scored 13 points and hit four 3-pointers in the game. Brady said following the game that Saturday just was not the Tigers’ day offensively. “Honestly, I don’t fault the effort of what we tried to do or how hard we played,” Brady said. “We just struggled to score. We’ve got seven different ways we attack the zone, and we used them all. It’s just a struggle for us right now.” The Tigers started the game strong, building a 9-7 LSU lead in the first 4:41 of the game. Davis came out looking to score to start the game. After attempting only nine shots in LSU’s 62-55 win Wednesday against Ole Miss, Davis attempted the Tigers’ first three field goals of the game and shot 4-for-13 in the first half. A missed dunk by sophomore forward Magnum Rolle followed by a 3-pointer by freshman guard Patrick Beverley capped a 9-0 Razorbacks’ run that gave Arkansas an 18-10 advantage. Two-straight Davis layups cut Arkansas’ lead to 27-21 with 4:05 remaining in the half. The Razorbacks responded with a 12-5 run to take a 39-26 lead into halftime. Arkansas shot 59 percent from the field in the first half compared to 31 percent for LSU. The Razorbacks’ lead ballooned to 18 points in the first 3:21 of the second half. LSU got the lead down to 13 with 8:02 left in the game, but a dunk by Hill – his seventh of the game – stopped what little momentum the Tigers had. LSU cut the lead to 61-49 with a Davis jumper with 6:07 left, but that was the closest the Tigers would get for the rest of the afternoon.
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