Hogs heat up in Hawaii
Arkansas rolls over Louisville in Maui Invitational action
From the University of Arkansas
arkansasrazorbacks.com
LAHAINA, Hawaii — Anthony Black dominated from inside and outside to finish with 26 points for No. 9 Arkansas, which overwhelmed Louisville in the second half for an 8054 victory Monday in the first round of the Maui Invitational.
Black, a freshman guard who topped the No. 2 recruiting class in the country, made 9 of 11 shots, including 3 of 5 3-pointers, made all five free throws and had six assists. Ricky Council IV added 15 points and Makhel Mitchell 12 for the Razorbacks (4-0), who had no trouble stepping up in competition after opening the season with three easy wins at home.
Arkansas played 10thranked Creighton in the semifinals Tuesday night.
San Diego State and Arizona met in the other semifinal game.
Kamri Lands scored 13 for Louisville, which dropped to 0-4 in its first season under coach Kenny Payne, a former Cardinals star.
Black carried the Razorbacks the entire game. He scored 12 points in the first half to stake the Razorbacks to a 36-28 lead, including consecutive 3point shots during an early run. The Razorbacks – who have reached the Elite Eight in consecutive seasons – also played a strong inside game, with Black making a baseline slam dunk and Council making an alley-oop slam dunk.
Council hit a corner 3pointer to open the second half and put the Razorbacks back into a double-digit lead. The Cardinals pulled within five points but the Razorbacks proved to be too much. Council hit another shot from behind the arc for a 52-40 lead midway through second half.
The Razorbacks simply wore down the Cardinals and had a number of easy dunks during a 17-0 run in the closing minutes, including three by Mitchell.
The Razorbacks have opened the season with three straight double-digit wins at home, against North Dakota State, Fordham and South Dakota State University.
Following the Classic, the Hogs will open up a threegame homestand beginning with Troy on Monday, San Jose State on Dec. 3 and UNC-Greensboro on Tuesday, Dec. 6.
Photo courtesy of the Arkansas Razorbacks
