COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Kentucky defeats Arkansas 82-74
By ArkansasOnline
Arkansas forward Sonny Weems dunks the ball against Kentucky during the second half in Fayetteville on Saturday.
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FAYETTEVILLE — The Kentucky Wildcats outscored Arkansas 52-39 in the second half to overcome a 5-point halftime deficit and win 82-74 at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville on Saturday.
The Razorbacks lost despite 25 points from freshman Patrick Beverly. Besides Beverly, three other Razorbacks finished the game in double figures. Sonny Weems finished with 14 points, while Stefan Welsh and Steven Hill each had 13.
Junior forward Charles Thomas sat out Saturday’s game against Kentucky with a strained right shoulder.
Thomas was hurt toward the end of the Razorbacks’ 63-57 win at No. 19 Alabama last Saturday. The junior was in street clothes for the matchup with Kentucky.
Thomas is averaging 11.9 points and 5.3 rebounds for Arkansas this season. He’s started 18 of his team’s 21 games.
On the Kentucky side, Ramel Bradley finished with a team high 24 points for the Wildcats.
Arkansas led 45-31 in the second half and 49-41 after Weems finished a fast break with a thunderous two-handed dunk. But Kentucky (17-5, 6-2 Southeastern Conference) was relentless, consistently beating Arkansas (14-8, 3-5) to rebounds and loose balls.
The Wildcats took a 54-53 lead on Jodie Meeks’ transition layup after Randolph Morris blocked a shot. They eventually pushed the lead to eight at 63-55.
The Razorbacks scored the next five points, but Bradley answered with a 3-pointer and Meeks stole a pass and went for a one-handed dunk to make it 68-60 with 3:12 remaining.
The Wildcats didn’t flinch down the stretch, and Bradley dribbled out the final few seconds. He then taunted the Arkansas fans by holding his hands up behind his ears as if straining to hear them.
Arkansas shot 55 percent from the field, but Kentucky shot 52 percent. The Wildcats had 11 offensive rebounds, nine in the second half.
The Razorbacks have struggled with turnovers all season, and this game was no exception. They finished with 19.
Information for this article was contributed by The Associated Press.
1. Florida (21-2) beat Tennessee 94-78. Next: at Georgia, Wednesday.
2. Wisconsin (22-2) beat Northwestern 69-52. Next: at Penn State, Wednesday.
3. North Carolina (20-3) lost to N.C. State 83-79. Next: at No. 8 Duke, Wednesday.
4. Ohio State (20-3) beat Michigan State 63-54. Next: vs. Michigan, Tuesday.
5. UCLA (20-2) beat Oregon State 82-35. Next: vs. Southern California, Wednesday.
6. Kansas (19-3) vs. No. 10 Texas A&M. Next: vs. Kansas State, Wednesday.
7. Pittsburgh (20-3) did not play. Next: at West Virginia, Wednesday.
8. Duke (18-4) did not play. Next: vs. Florida State, Sunday.
9. Oregon (19-4) lost to Southern California 71-68. Next: vs. Arizona State, Thursday.
10. Texas A&M (18-3) at No. 6 Kansas. Next: vs. No. 22 Texas, Monday.
11. Memphis (19-3) beat SMU 88-52. Next: at UAB, Thursday.
12. Oklahoma State (18-4) lost to Colorado 89-77. Next: at Oklahoma, Wednesday.
13. Butler (22-2) beat Wisconsin-Milwaukee 66-47. Next: at Cleveland State, Thursday.
14. Marquette (20-4) beat Providence 69-62. Next: vs. Rutgers, Wednesday.
15. Nevada (20-2) vs. Hawaii. Next: at Fresno State, Thursday.
16. Virginia Tech (16-7) lost to Boston College 80-59. Next: vs. Virginia, Saturday.
17. Air Force (20-3) beat Wyoming 88-43. Next: at San Diego State, Tuesday.
18. Washington State (18-4) at Arizona State. Next: vs. No. 23 Stanford, Thursday.
19. Alabama (17-5) beat South Carolina 64-61. Next: vs. Mississippi State, Wednesday.
20. Arizona (15-7) beat Washington 84-54. Next: at Arizona State, Thursday.
21. Notre Dame (18-4) at South Florida. Next: at DePaul, Thursday.
22. Texas (16-6) lost to Kansas State 73-72. Next: at No. 10 Texas A&M, Saturday.
23. Stanford (14-6) at California. Next: at No. 18 Washington State, Thursday.
24. Vanderbilt (15-7) vs. Georgia. Next: at Tennessee, Saturday.
25. Clemson (18-5) lost to Georgia Tech 80-62. Next: vs. Florida State, Wednesday.
This article was published Saturday, February 3, 2007.
