Meleek Thomas poured in 23 points and fueled a first-half comeback as No. 14 Arkansas pulled away after the break for a 99-75 win over Memphis in the Hoops for St. Jude Tip-Off Classic, presented by Bad Boy Mowers.
Thomas was dominant on both ends, tying for the team lead with seven rebounds alongside Trevon Brazile and Karter Knox. He also recorded four steals and four assists, helping the Razorbacks improve to 1-0 on the young season.
Arkansas trailed by as many as 15 in the first half before Thomas caught fire, scoring 14 points during a 22-6 run that put the Hogs in front 42-40. Memphis regained a slim lead at halftime, 45-42, but the Razorbacks took over from there.
After the Tigers opened the second half with back-to-back 3-pointers to go up nine, Arkansas erupted with an 18-2 run and never looked back. The Razorbacks shot a blistering 64.5 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes while holding Memphis to just 24.3 percent.
Arkansas also dominated the boards, out-rebounding Memphis 28-15 in the second half, and spread the scoring around – Darius Acuff Jr., Malique Ewin, Thomas, Brazile, and Knox each scored at least eight points after halftime.
Thomas led all scorers, while Dug McDaniel paced Memphis with 11 points in the first half before the Tigers’ offense sputtered late.
The Razorbacks return to action later this week as they continue their early-season nonconference slate.
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