FAYETTEVILLE -- Missouri Coach Kim Anderson had no doubt Arkansas' basketball team would come out with some extra fire Saturday.
The Razorbacks had lost their first two SEC home games to Florida and Mississippi State and were in no mood to make it three in a row.
Arkansas brought an edge it had been lacking and beat Missouri 92-73 in Walton Arena before an announced crowd of 11,182.
"I knew before I got here they would, and it was reaffirmed shortly after tipoff," Anderson said. "I thought they seemed a little quicker and faster than they looked on video.
"I know they're quick and fast anyway, but I thought they played with a great burst of urgency. I think they probably felt some urgency and they certainly displayed that, especially in the first half."
The Razorbacks, who beat Missouri for the fifth consecutive time, outscored the Tigers 17-2 over a 4:17 span in the first half to push their lead from 27-21 to 44-23.
Missouri missed seven consecutive shots during Arkansas' run -- the Tigers' two points came on free throws by sophomore guard Terrence Phillips -- and had two turnovers.
"I think it was just defense," Arkansas junior guard Jaylen Barford said. "Just pressing up on defense and disrupting their offense.
"Just keep attacking and play our type of ball, and we can make a lot of runs."
Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said the switch to a trapping zone defense helped the Razorbacks take control.
"We created some turnovers and quick shots and I thought we really did a good job of pushing the basketball," Mike Anderson said. "Guys were running lanes.
"We missed shots and we got guys there to tip it in. To me, that's Arkansas basketball.
"That's what we saw today and we need to see more of it."
Arkansas (13-4, 2-3 SEC) led 50-36 at halftime. Missouri didn't pull closer than 11 points in the second half.
"It was a very important win," said junior guard Daryl Macon, who led the Razorbacks with 17 points. "We couldn't drop three in a row at home.
"So what we did at practice was we started the sense of urgency and tried to carry it over to the game."
Macon, a junior-college transfer who is from Little Rock, hit 6 of 11 shots -- including 4 of 8 three-pointers -- and had 6 assists, 4 rebonds and 2 steals in his first game against Missouri.
"I'd watched Macon and I thought he was extremely, extremely dangerous, and he proved that," Kim Anderson said. "He just got his shot whenever and he made them."
Guard Dusty Hannahs, a senior from Little Rock, had 16 points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds for the Razorbacks. He hit 5 of 11 shots, including 2 of 5 three-pointers.
In three games against Missouri the last two seasons, Hannahs has scored 58 points and hit 20 of 34 shots with 10 of 19 three-pointers.
"I think Hannahs is always a problem," Kim Anderson said. "He's perpetual motion. He's always moving, so he's a difficult guy to guard."
Barford had 13 points, 6 rebounds 2 assists. Junior guard Anton Beard had 11 points for the Razorbacks, senior center Moses Kingley had 10 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocked shots and senior Manny Watkins and junior forward Trey Thompson each had 8 points.
"Certainly I was proud of the effort of our guys," Mike Anderson said. "I thought we brought the intensity that is normally on display at Bud Walton Arena, and it was good to see defensively guys engaged and making it difficult for Missouri to get into what they wanted to run offensively.
"I thought it was a team win. Guys came off the bench and gave us good minutes."
Missouri (5-11, 0-4) lost its eighth consecutive game and remained the only SEC team without a conference victory.
Junior forward Jordan Barnett led the Tigers with 14 points and Phillips and sophomore guard Jordan Geist each scored 13 points.
The Razorbacks shot 55.9 percent from the field (33 of 59) after starting 14 of 22.
"I thought that certainly the first half they did a great job of pushing the basketball," Kim Anderson said. "I thought they did a great job and their crowd did a great job."
Arkansas outscored Missouri 21-6 in fast-break points and 25-14 in points off turnovers.
"The pace was up and down the floor," Mike Anderson said. "That's music to our ears."
Anderson was asked if Arkansas is back on track after a tough start to SEC play.
"I think we got a little bit better," he said. "It remains to be seen. Consistency is the key.
"I just saw more guys that when they went out there -- whether it was for one minute, two minutes -- I thought they played as hard as they could."
Game sketch
RECORDS Arkansas 13-4, 2-3 SEC; Missouri 5-11, 0-4 STARS Arkansas junior guard Daryl Macon (17 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds) and senior guard Dusty Hannahs (16 points, 3 assists, 3 rebounds) TURNING POINT The Razorbacks outscored the Tigers 17-2 over a 4:17 span to take a 44-23 lead with 5:05 left in the first half. KEY STAT Arkansas shot 55.9 percent (33 of 59) from the field. UP NEXT Arkansas plays Texas A&M at 6 p.m. Tuesday in College Station, Texas.
Sports on 01/15/2017