Mark Sears scored 26 points and Noah Clowney added 15 as No. 4 Alabama remained perfect in SEC play with an 84-69 road victory over No. 15 Arkansas on Wednesday at Fayetteville, Ark.
Brandon Miller scored 14 points, all in the second half for the Crimson Tide (14-2, 4-0 SEC), who have won five consecutive games overall. Alabama is in its second stint as the No. 4 team in the country.
Davonte Davis scored 16 points with 10 rebounds for the Razorbacks (12-4, 1-3), who lost consecutive games for the first time this season. Jalen Graham also had 16 points, while Ricky Council IV added 15 points for Arkansas, which lost for the first time in nine home games.
The game was tied 46-46 with 14:14 remaining after a jumper from Council. A 9-2 run by Alabama gave the Crimson Tide a 55-48 lead with 12:18 remaining after a 3-pointer from Clowney.
Alabama grabbed its first double-digit lead at 60-50 with 9:43 remaining after a 3-pointer from Sears. That basket was part of a 7-0 run that pushed the Crimson Tide advantage to 62-50 with 9:14 left.
The Razorbacks refused to go away, starting a 7-0 run to pull within 65-63 with 4:45 on the clock. But three consecutive 3-pointers by Alabama, two by Miller, increased the Crimson Tide advantage to 74-63 with 3:43 remaining.
The teams played even early as the first half ended in a 33-33 tie. Neither team shot 40 percent from the floor in the opening 20 minutes, with a pair of testy moments on the floor, one of them leading to double technical fouls for Alabama’s Jahvon Quinerly and Arkansas’ Anthony Black.
Alabama finished 46.3 percent from the field, while Arkansas was at 42.6 percent.
Arkansas played without Nick Smith Jr. (knee) and Trevon Brazile, who has just started rehab following surgery to repair a torn ACL.
–Field Level Media