A scorching second half lifted No. 20 Arkansas past Texas A&M 99-84 Wednesday night inside Bud Walton Arena.
Billy Richmond III scored 23 points to extend his streak of 20-plus point games to four straight, while Darius Acuff Jr. overcame a rough first half going 1-of-10 from the field to finish with 22 points and seven assists. It marked Acuff’s ninth consecutive game with at least 20 points.
Arkansas led 37-28 at halftime despite shooting just 36.1 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from three, kept afloat by forcing 13 first-half turnovers. The second half was a different story. The Razorbacks hit 13 consecutive shots at one point, shooting 69 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes. The 62 second-half points set a program record against an SEC opponent in regular-season play. Arkansas finished with 30 fastbreak points and 52 points in the paint.
Acuff led the second-half surge, scoring 17 of his 22 points on 6-of-9 shooting after the break. Malique Ewin added 18 points and nine rebounds, while Trevon Brazile and Meleek Thomas each contributed 13. Zach Clemence led Texas A&M with 29 points on 11-of-14 shooting.
Arkansas shoots 50.8 percent for the game and improves its record ahead of a tough road trip.
Up next, the Razorbacks travel to Gainesville to face No. 7 Florida on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN, with ESPN GameDay broadcasting from Gainesville that morning. Arkansas then returns home to host Texas on March 4th at 6 p.m. in the program’s home finale.
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