LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The University of Arkansas men's basketball team secured its second consecutive victory with a dominant 97-65 win over Georgia Tuesday at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.
Arkansas (19-9, 8-7 SEC) only trailed for 1:41 courtesy of a fast start and a suffocating defense.
Freshman guard Anthony Black, who finished with 10 points and tied a season-high eight assists, gave Arkansas a 4-3 lead with 18:19 remaining in the first half, and they would never lose it.
The Razorbacks proceeded on a 15-2 run to break the game open. Freshman guard Nick Smith nailed a three-pointer to give Arkansas a 23-8 lead with 9:57 to play in the opening half.
Smith scored a career-high 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including 5-of-8 from three. He also had one rebound and two assists.
Arkansas junior guard Ricky Council entered the contest as the Hogs' leading scorer, averaging 16.4 points per game, and he showcased that ability Tuesday night against the Bulldogs (16-12, 6-9).
Council threw down a dunk off an assist from Black that brought the crowd of 19,200 people at Bud Walton Arena to its feet. The highlight play put Arkansas ahead 31-11 with 6:53 remaining in the first half.
Council finished with 22 points, three rebounds and four assists, while freshman guard Jordan Walsh added nine points and a team-high seven rebounds.
The Hogs shot 63.8% from the field and were a season-high 11-of-20 (55%) from behind the three-point line. It was one of Arkansas's smoothest offensive games of the year as they scored on 44 of its 67 possessions and led 43-23 at the half.
Coming out of the break, it was more of the same for the Razorbacks, who sparked a 13-3 run after a jumper and free throw by Georgia junior guard Jabri Abdur-Rahim.
Senior forward Makhi Mitchell scored seven points on 3-of-4 shooting, pulled in five rebounds and had four assists for Arkansas. He extended the Razorbacks' lead with a dunk to go up 58-29 with 15:37 to go.
Arkansas's defense was just as impressive in the victory against Georgia. The Hogs held the Bulldogs to 36.5% shooting from the floor and scored 20 points off 13 turnovers.
The Razorbacks committed a season-low five turnovers. It was just the third time Arkansas had single-digit turnovers this year, committing nine each versus Creighton and Oklahoma.
Junior guard Karop Oquendo led all Bulldogs with 20 points, while Abdur-Rahim added 12 points and junior guard Justin Hill had 10 points.
Georgia has now lost back-to-back games by a total of 81 points. The Bulldogs lost to No. 2 Alabama 108-59 on Feb. 18.
The Razorbacks return to action on Saturday at Alabama. Coverage from Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Ala., begins at 1 p.m. Central on ESPN2.