FAYETTEVILLE -- There's a benefit for Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson in bringing Dusty Hannahs and Anton Beard off the bench.
The veteran guards not only help keep up the intensity for the reserves but they also know how to score.
Hannahs tied for the team high with 17 points and Beard added nine points Tuesday as Arkansas used its bench to help outlast Houston 84-72 at Walton Arena.
"The bench gets the game ball," Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said. "I can't say enough about the bench. And it wasn't just the scoring part. It was their energy and their effort.
"I thought our bench came in and really caused them to expend a lot of energy. In the second half, I thought we were a lot quicker to the ball."
Said Houston Coach Kelvin Sampson: "They've got good depth, and Mike does a good job using it."
The Arkansas reserves outscored their counterparts 34-14 and triggered a 17-2 run in the first half that gave the Razorbacks early separation.
"I just go out there and hoop," Hannahs said. "I don't put much importance on it. I like to start, and I like to play. These buckets are coming, whether I'm coming off the bench or starting. That's the way I look at it."
Arkansas outscored Houston by 19 points during Beard's 24 minutes on the floor.
Blood stoppage
Officials stopped the game for several minutes at the 16:53 mark of the first half to take care of a blood spill. Houston forward Devin Davis came out immediately during the stoppage, which came after Daryl Macon's steal and layup. Personnel from the Arkansas bench hustled out and began cleaning the ball, various parts of the floor and the back of Arkansas guard Manny Watkins' jersey.
One of the referees also needed to wipe up some blood.
The 6-7 Davis lost flesh off of two fingers, Houston Coach Kelvin Sampson said, and needed seven or eight stitches to repair the tears. He did not return.
"He's our best inside player," Sampson said. "If we were going to lose somebody, it couldn't have been him."
Macon not aching
Arkansas guard Daryl Macon scored 17 points three days after landing on the basketball after a dunk and straining his right calf.
"I felt great," Macon said. "Shout out to [trainer] Dave England. I felt great."
Bad 'T'
Houston Coach Kelvin Sampson disagreed with the technical foul called on the Houston bench early in the second half.
The technical was called as Houston forward Danrad Knowles returned to a seat on the bench during a stoppage in play.
"I don't think they should have called a technical," Sampson said. "He just slammed his hand down on the scorer's table."
Hot from three
Houston, the NCAA leader in three-point percentage (.457) entering the game, improved on that with a 4 of 8 performance in the first half. The second half wasn't as productive, as the Cougars went 4 of 14 in the half and finished 8 of 22 (.364) for the game.
Arkansas, which was ranked No. 62 entering the game at 38.5 percent, outshot the Cougars from beyond the arc, going 6 of 14 from that range.
First-half surge
Arkansas bolted from a 9-8 deficit into a 25-11 lead with the help of a string of three-point plays during a stretch of more than four minutes.
The spree started on a three-point play by Dustin Thomas at the 14:29 mark, which gave Arkansas an 11-9 lead. After a pull-up jumper from 15 feet by Daryl Macon, the Hogs' reserves converted three-point plays on each of their next four possessions.
C.J. Jones hit a three-pointer from the left baseline on a pass from Trey Thompson. Anton Beard converted a driving layup and a free throw after being fouled. Dusty Hannahs swished a three-point shot from the right wing on an assist by Beard, then Hannahs made a three-point play to give the Razorbacks a 25-11 lead, its biggest of the game.
Board bash
Arkansas won the rebounding battle 39-31, led by 9 from Moses Kingsley and 7 from Manny Watkins.
The Razorbacks have beaten their opponents on the boards in seven consecutive games since being outrebounded 45-39 by Fort Wayne in the season opener.
"We went small, and we're obviously not as good a rebounding team for sure," Sampson said.
For starters
Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson went with the same starting lineup of guards Jaylen Barford, Daryl Macon and Manny Watkins, forward Dustin Thomas, and center Moses Kingsley for the second consecutive game. Kingsley and Thomas are the only Razorbacks to start all eight games. Barford and Macon joined Dusty Hannahs with six starts apiece.
Tip-ins
• Houston Coach Kelvin Sampson had a personal four-game winning streak against the Razorbacks come to an end, leaving him 4-2 against Arkansas.
• The Razorbacks have made a three-pointer in 914 consecutive games. Freshman C.J. Jones hit the first of the game from the left baseline for a 16-11 Arkansas lead at the 12:26 mark.
Sports on 12/07/2016