MOBILE, Ala. ? Stefan Welsh connected on a three-pointer from the right wing with two seconds remaining Wednesday, leading Arkansas to a 79-77 men’s basketball victory over the University of South Alabama in the 10th annual Coors Classic at the Mitchell Center.
Welsh finished with 24 points, but he wasn’t even the game’s high scorer ? that honor belonged to Most Valuable Player Courtney Fortson, who collected 25 points on 8-of 11 shooting from the floor. The totals were career bests for both players, helping the Razorbacks improve to 3-1 with their fifth win in as many meetings with the Jaguars.
Domonic Tilford sank six threes ? matching his two-game total entering the contest ? to pace USA (2-3) with 23 points, and Brandon Davis collected 18 and eight rebounds. It was the Jags second straight loss to a team from a BCS conference.
“They hit some big buckets at the end that won them the game,” USA head coach Ronnie Arrow said. “It’s unfortunate, because I thought we really played well enough to win the game tonight. I’m proud of our guys, but some mental errors at the end of the game just cost us, and you can’t have those in a close game like that.”
Welsh’s three ? which put the Razorbacks in front for the first time since six-and-a-half minutes were left in the opening period ? was the second for the Hogs in the last 47 seconds, as Rotnei Clarke sank one from the corner in front of the UA bench to cut a four-point USA lead to one. Those two, as well as Fortson, nailed four treys each, accounting for all of the team’s baskets from long distance ? the Razorbacks connected on 54.5 percent for the game.
Actually, Arkansas rallied from a deficit that grew to 10 points earlier in the second half. The Jags, who led by one at the intermission, scored seven of the first eight points after the break, going ahead 52-45 with 17:44 left on a Tilford trey. Bryan Sherrer’s three-point play two-and-a-half minutes later put USA up 56-47, and although UA would cut it deficit to four an 8-2 Jaguar run that followed made it a 64-54 contest with 12-and-a-half minutes remaining.
The Hogs scored seven straight points over the next two minutes to make it a one-possession game, slashing their deficit to one with eight-and-a-half minutes to go when Fortson connected on two foul shots. USA would go up by four points on four occasions in the last six-plus minutes, the last when Ronald Douglas made two free throws with 64 seconds left.
Making his first start of the season, Douglas collected six points, six rebounds and four blocked shots. LaShun Watson posted 10 points and a career-high five assists, with DeAndré Coleman pacing the team with nine rebounds while also scoring seven points.
The Jaguars committed a season-low 11 turnovers, but hit 42.9 percent from the floor in the second half.
UA shot only 39.3 percent over the final 20 minutes, but after a hot shooting hand in the first half finished connecting at a 49.1-percent clip for the game. The Razorbacks held a six-rebound advantage on the boards as well, as Michael Washington grabbed a game-best 13 and Welsh chipped in with nine.
Clarke gave the Hogs three players in double figures in the scoring column with 12 points.
Both teams shot 50 percent or better in the opening half, which included connecting on 14 shots from beyond the three-point arc and only turning the ball over nine times. The Razorbacks hit 58.6 percent overall, making 8-of-12 from long distance as Fortson was 4-of-4 and Clarke chipped in with three treys. Tilford sank four threes on the other end, though, while the Jags committed just three turnovers.
Four individuals ?Davis and Tilford for USA, Fortson and Welsh for UA ? had 10 or more points in the opening 20 minutes.
The Jaguars built their largest lead of the period before the first media time-out hit, scoring seven unanswered points on back-to-back dunks from Davis and Watson before Tilford hit a three to make the score 15-9, with 15-and-a-half minutes left.
The Hogs biggest edge came over four minutes later, as they responded with a 16-5 spurt keyed by a trio of Fortson threes.
The Jags only have a one-day break before concluding a season-long three-game homestand when they play host to the USA Basketball Classic. Tulane will face UC Davis in the opening contest at 5 p.m. Friday, with the Jaguars taking on Maine in the second game. The consolation contest will tip Saturday at 5 p.m. with the championship to follow.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
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