PORTLAND, Ore. -- A loud, spontaneous Hog call broke out in Veterans Memorial Coliseum as Arkansas and North Carolina headed to their benches for a media timeout late in the second half of the teams' second-round game Friday at the Phil Knight Invitational.
Arkansas senior guard Jaylen Barford had just converted a jumper and was fouled, the latest in a flurry of quick Razorback baskets as they threatened to rally from a 16-point deficit against the defending national champions.
Barford sank the free throw after the timeout, bringing the run to 10-0 and cutting North Carolina's lead to 74-68 with 3:32 remaining.
The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville didn't score again. North Carolina closed the game with a 13-0 run highlighted by a thunderous Theo Pinson dunk and Luke Maye's three-pointer, pulling away down the stretch for an 87-68 victory.
It was reminiscent of the Tar Heels' 12-0, game-ending run in their 72-65 victory over Arkansas in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in March. North Carolina took over both games down the stretch.
"We felt like we ran out of gas a little bit," senior guard Anton Beard said. "We went on that little 10-0 run and then we could never get over that little hump that we had. We'd shoot ourself in the foot and we've just got to learn how to make them plays at the end."
Beard played a game-high 38 minutes, the result of what became a shorthanded Arkansas guard rotation after an apparent ankle injury to senior Daryl Macon and foul trouble for Barford. Barford finished with a team-high 21 points, but Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said he "didn't know" the severity of Macon's injury or his status for Sunday's third-place game against the winner of Friday night's late game between Michigan State and Connecticut.
The Razorbacks (4-1) didn't have an answer for Maye. The junior forward scored a career-high 28 points on 11-of-16 shooting. He also pulled down a career-best 16 rebounds and had 5 assists to counteract a career-worst 5 turnovers.
Maye, the hero in the Tar Heels' Elite Eight victory over Kentucky, did it all, scoring inside over tight defense and knocking down 4 of 5 three-pointers.
"Maye was in a zone," Anderson said. "No matter where he caught the ball, he was a threat."
Maye is averaging 21.2 points per game and has scored 20 or more in four of North Carolina's first five games this year. His 16 rebounds, including five on the offensive end, were a big part of the reason North Carolina (5-0) outrebounded Arkansas 46-30.
"Guys, I think they're trying to guard him," North Carolina Coach Roy Williams said. "They're not giving him carte blanche. Hell, [they're] not saying, 'Go ahead and go to the basket.' You think those other coaches are dumb. He's got a double-double every game, three out of five."
North Carolina began to take control in the latter stages of the first half.
Arkansas was within 20-19 with 5:24 left in the half after sophomore guard C.J. Jones hit a corner three-pointer, but the Tar Heels closed with a 17-6 run to lead 37-26 at halftime after what amounted to the Razorbacks' worst offensive half this season.
Part of it had to do with foul trouble. Freshman center Daniel Gafford picked up two quick fouls and was limited to three first-half minutes and Barford sat the final 7:33 after picking up his second.
But the Hogs were stagnant in the halfcourt, averaging 20 seconds per possession, a massive uptick for a team that entered the game averaging just 14.8 seconds per possession.
"I feel like they was in the lanes on us, all the way up," Beard said. "I felt that we didn't execute our offense well."
Arkansas entered the game shooting 50.6 from the floor for the season but wound up shooting a season-low 37.5 percent against the Tar Heels.
The Tar Heels stretched the lead to 16 early in the second half, but the Hogs rallied with a 9-0 run with Gafford in. He was in again during the 10-0 run to cut the deficit to 6 late, a stretch that included 9 points in the span of a minute on 2 three-pointers by Jones and Barford's three-point play.
Jones played a career-high 26 minutes with Macon out and finished with 12 points on the strength of 4-of-10 three-point shooting.
"This is something to build on with C.J.," Anderson said. "C.J.'s all about confidence. We've seen what he's capable of doing in practice each and every day. The only way you gain experience is getting out there and playing. What better venue than a tournament experience, someone goes down and you've got to have the next guy up."
Game sketch
RECORDS Arkansas 4-1; North Carolina 5-0 STARS North Carolina junior forward Luke Maye (28 points, 16 rebounds, 5 assists), junior guard Kenny Williams (19 points, 8 rebounds), senior guard Joel Berry (13 points, 4 assists). Arkansas senior guard Jaylen Barford (21 points, 3 rebounds) TURNING POINT The Tar Heels answered a 10-0 Razorbacks run by scoring the game’s final 13 points. KEY STATS Arkansas shot a season-low 37.5 percent from the floor and was outrebounded 46-30. UP NEXT Arkansas plays Michigan State or Connecticut at 2 p.m. Sunday in the Phil Knight Invitational at Portland, Ore.
Sports on 11/25/2017