No. 21 Arkansas holds off late surge from Samford

No. 21 Arkansas used a strong second-half surge and a balanced offensive effort to beat Samford 79-75 on Friday night at Bud Walton Arena.

Darius Acuff Jr. led the Razorbacks (3–1) with 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting, while Meleek Thomas added 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Trevon Brazile scored 15, and Billy Richmond III and D.J. Wagner finished with 10 apiece.

Zion Wilburn and Cade Norris scored 15 points each for Samford (2–2), which got 14 from Jadin Booth. Booth, the nation’s leading scorer entering the game, was limited to 3-of-15 shooting.

Arkansas took a 45–35 lead into halftime behind a 16–8 run and double-figure first halves from Thomas, Acuff and Brazile. Samford stayed close early thanks to Wilburn’s hot start, including three 3-pointers.

Samford closed the gap to 53-50 with 11:43 left, but Arkansas responded with a 12-0 run to push the lead to 69-54. Thomas capped the stretch with two free throws, and the Razorbacks kept control the rest of the way despite a late push from the Bulldogs.

Arkansas continues its four-game homestand next week.

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