GAME NOTES: Winners of seven of their eight games at home, the Arkansas Razorbacks try to add to that success tonight as they entertain the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs in non-conference action at Bud Walton Arena.
On Tuesday night the Razorbacks had little trouble notching their seventh win of the 2011-12 campaign as they tripped up Eastern Kentucky with a 71-57 decision at home. The victory was the second in as many games for an Arkansas squad that was coming off back-to-back losses against eighth-ranked UConn and Oklahoma both on the road.
As for the Bulldogs, they too were in action two nights ago and while their margin of victory was not quite as great as the Razorbacks, the team still captured a 56-53 triumph over Northeastern nonetheless. The win was the third in a row and the fifth in six games for a LaTech group that began the season with just two wins in six chances.
Louisiana Tech has yet to break through against the Razorbacks, losing all five of the previous encounters. The most recent meeting took place five years ago with the Hogs posting a resounding 80-50 win. The Bulldogs have not defeated a member of the SEC since the 2001-02 campaign.
Raheem Appleby scored a game-high 22 points off the bench as he led the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs to the thrilling three-point win over the Northeastern Huskies in non-conference action at the Thomas Assembly Center two nights ago. Also scoring in double figures for the Bulldogs was Brandon Gibson who tallied 14 points and pulled down five rebounds before picking up his fifth personal foul in the team's victory. LaTech was easily handled on the glass, 50-32, but made up for it by forcing 21 Northeastern turnovers on the night. The appearance of Gibson as a double-digit scorer in the latest game has to be encouraging for the Bulldogs because he's coming off a torn ACL that ended his 2010-11 season just five minutes into the Western Athletic Conference opener. He missed all of the 2009-10 season due to a broken foot, so keeping him healthy is no sure thing. Appleby, the leading scorer in the last two games for Tech, is one of three players on the team averaging double figures with his 10.1 ppg.
The Arkansas defense held the Colonels to a total of just 17 field goals on Tuesday night, not to mention forcing the visitors into 19 turnovers which the Hogs traded in for 25 points in the double-digit win. Mardracus Wade scored 13 points, BJ Young 12 and Marvell Waithe 11 points to pace Arkansas, while Devonta Abron pulled down a team-best 10 rebounds, half of those coming at the offensive end of the floor. The active leading scorers for the Razorbacks entering play tonight as Young and Wade with 15.0 and 10.8 ppg, respectively, but one can only imagine just how powerful this group would be had Marshawn Powell (19.5 ppg) not gone down with a knee injury just two games into the campaign. Powell was also poised to be the leader on the glass for the program as well, a responsibility that now falls to Abron, who is pulling down 5.4 rpg.
If Gibson can give the Bulldogs another strong effort tonight the visitors might have a shot at the upset. Still, quite a bit will have to fall in LaTech's favor to make that happen.
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