Arkansas downs Missouri in Joe's return

Arkansas guard Isaiah Joe (1) drives to the lane Friday, Feb. 21, 2020, as he is pressured by Missouri guard Dru Smith during the first half in Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.
Arkansas guard Isaiah Joe (1) drives to the lane Friday, Feb. 21, 2020, as he is pressured by Missouri guard Dru Smith during the first half in Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville.

Final | Arkansas 78, Missouri 68

Isaiah Joe scored 21 points on 5 of 10 from 3-point range in his return from injury and helped the Razorbacks snap a five-game losing streak.

He played 37 minutes in his first action since knee surgery on Feb. 4.

Desi Sills added 17 points, Jimmy Whitt chipped in 14, Mason Jones 12 and Adrio Bailey 11. Arkansas knocked down 12 of 25 3-point attempts in the win, the team's most since hitting 12 at Indiana on Dec. 29.

Kobe Brown scored a team-high 17 points for the Tigers, which drop to 13-14 overall 5-9 in SEC play. The Razorbacks improve to 17-10 and 5-9 in conference play.

1:27, 2H | Arkansas 71, Missouri 63

Desi Sills and Isaiah Joe have hit back-to-back 3s to push the Razorbacks' lead to eight with under two to play.

Joe was isolated on the right wing with Missouri forward Mitchell Smith. Joe snapped back a crossover and drained a triple, then Sills followed with one in the left corner. He's made winning plays all day long.

Joe and Sills have combined for 35 points today. Adrio Bailey is in double figures, too, with 11.

3:27, 2H | Arkansas 65, Missouri 60

Can't say enough about Desi Sills' play today. He has scored eight of the Razorbacks' last 10 points and is up to 14, one off the team high.

He has been as efficient as any other game this season. He is 5 of 7 from the floor and 3 of 5 from deep. His last bucket was a floater in the lane moving left. He ran back on defense signaling that his matchup was too small. His confidence is sky high at the moment.

Kobe Brown, Xavier Pinson and Dru Smith are keeping this one close for the Tigers. They all have seven points in the second half.

7:29, 2H | Arkansas 58, Missouri 53

Mason Jones added three free throws since the last media timeout, and Desi Sills knocked down a big 3 from the left wing to push Arkansas' lead to five.

Sills has nine points today on 3 of 5 shooting. Isaiah Joe, who still has five points in the second half, leads the way with 15 points, and Jimmy Whitt 14. Adrio Bailey has added nine and Jones eight. Pretty balanced scoring effort today.

Mark Smith has scored a team-high seven points for Missouri since halftime. He is up to 12 points. Xavier Pinson and Kobe Brown have 12 as well.

11:31, 2H | Arkansas 52, Missouri 47

Desi Sills has not set the world on fire in terms of scoring the ball today, but he's made winning plays at opportune times. His first half 3 sparked a key run that helped the Razorbacks take their first lead.

In the second half, he added an and-1 after a nice layup in which he took his defender off the bounce left. He has six points on 2 of 4 from the floor and 1 of 3 from deep.

Reed Nikko's layup in the lane as he was guarded by Sills brought the Tigers to within five at the under-12 timeout.

Mason Jones will be at the line when play resumes. He's got just five points today.

14:49, 2H | Arkansas 47, Missouri 40

The Tigers quickly scored four easy points following Cuonzo Martin's timeout, pulling within five points on scores from Kobe Brown and Dru Smith.

Adrio Bailey responded with a tough offensive rebound and putback following a Desi Sills miss from 3 to slow the spurt. Bailey will be at the line when play resumes, aiming to notch a three-point play.

Bailey has nine points and five rebounds today. Arkansas is plus-12 with him on the floor - the second best mark on the team behind Sills' plus-14.

15:56, 2H | Arkansas 45, Missouri 36

Strong start to the second half for the Razorbacks.

Isaiah Joe has scored five of Arkansas' 10 points since the break, and he is up to 15 points today, which is a team high. He got the Razorbacks on the boards after halftime with a dribble drive going left, then he buried a deep 3 from the right wing in transition. Arkansas is plus-9 with Joe on the floor today.

Adrio Bailey also knocked down his first 3 of the day from the left wing, where he is shooting 6 of 10 for the season. He is plus-14 this afternoon.

Jimmy Whitt then dropped in another midrange jumper off something of a broken play. Whitt has 12 points on 6 of 11 shooting.

Half | Arkansas 35, Missouri 33

For the first time since Jan. 25, the Razorbacks have a lead at halftime. Arkansas closed the half on a 12-2 run, which was sparked by Desi Sills' 3 from the top of the key. It is the only shot he has attempted.

Four players contributed to the run.

Isaiah Joe scored 10 points in his first action since undergoing knee surgery earlier this month and knocked down 2 of 3 from 3-point range. I thought he looked sharp and fresh. He does have a pair of turnovers, but neither were because he was rusty.

Jimmy Whitt also added 10 points for Arkansas. He has been more of a factor today than in most games in which Joe did not play. The spacing Joe brings to the floor is opening up plenty of scoring opportunities in the midrange for Whitt, and he's taken advantage fairly well. Whitt is 5 of 10 from the floor.

Mason Jones scored just four points in the first half, but I'm not too worried about him. He'll get his points in the flow of the game and continue to set teammates up. He is one of three Razorbacks with two assists to this point. His first assist of the game went to Isaiah Joe for 3, and the other to Whitt on a jumper at the right elbow.

Xavier Pinson has a team-high eight points for Missouri, and Kobe Brown has seven. Brown was a big reason why the Tigers jumped out to an early lead today. Missouri has outscored Arkansas by five points when Pinson has been on the floor.

Missouri won the first-half rebounding battle 18-6, and both teams are shooting 50 percent or better from the floor.

3:53, 1H | Missouri 30, Arkansas 23

The Tigers answered Arkansas' quick run with one of their own. Kobe Brown got a layup to drop, Xavier Pinson added a layup, then Torrence Watson buried a 3 in transition.

Jimmy Whitt has a team-high eight points for Arkansas, and Mason Jones and Isaiah Joe each have five. Jalen Harris, in only 10 minutes today, is a minus-17.

Brown now has a game-high nine points for Missouri. Pinson and Watson each have six.

5:32, 1H | Missouri 24, Arkansas 21

The crowd in Bud Walton Arena has come alive.

Isaiah Joe buried a deep contested 3 from the right wing to cut Arkansas' deficit to five, then Mason Jones played tremendous defense, came up with a steal and finished on the other end.

Missouri calls for time to try to slow the run.

7:29, 1H | Missouri 24, Arkansas 16

The Razorbacks have reeled off five straight points and shown a little bit of life in the last couple of minutes.

Isaiah Joe drew contact and hit a pair of free throws for his first points of the day and since Jan. 29 against South Carolina. Mason Jones then hit a 3 in transition from the left wing. It's his first score of the day.

Arkansas is 6 of 15 from the floor to this point, and Missouri is 10 of 16. Kobe Brown still leads the Tigers with seven points, and Xavier Pinson has five plus three assists. Missouri has assisted on 7 of 10 scores.

Jimmy Whitt has a team-high six points for the Razorbacks.

9:58, 1H | Missouri 24, Arkansas 11

The Tigers are on an 11-2 run, and Eric Musselman just burned his second timeout of the half. Arkansas is sleepwalking through this first half.

11:23, 1H | Missouri 18, Arkansas 11

Jimmy Whitt, who had been struggling mightily with his jumper lately, has Arkansas' last three scores going back to the 15:30 mark. He has knocked down 3 of 5 midrange jumpers and has a team-high six points.

Reggie Chaney, who checked in for Adrio Bailey following Eric Musselman's last timeout, will be at the foul line when play resumes. He caught an entry pass on the right block and used his up-and-under move to draw the game's first foul. Chaney is 9 of his last 12 at the line.

Six players have already scored for Missouri, led by Kobe Brown's seven. The Tigers are 8 of 11 from the floor through eight-plus minutes.

14:44, 1H | Missouri 13, Arkansas 7

Kobe Brown has been terrific for the Tigers in the early going. He opened the game with a 3 in front of the Arkansas bench, then added a pair of layups. He has seven points.

The Razorbacks look like they're moving in slow motion on both ends, really, but especially on offense. Jalen Harris hit a 3 from the right wing, and Adrio Bailey got a layup to go for the team's first score. He has started the game 0 of 2 from 3-point range, missing from the top of the key and right corner.

Mason Jones and Isaiah Joe have not scored. Joe hasn't attempted a shot, and Jones missed a left-wing 3 prior to Eric Musselman's timeout.

Pregame

Arkansas' starting lineup: Jimmy Whitt, Mason Jones, Isaiah Joe, Adrio Bailey and Jalen Harris.

Well, apparently Joe's right knee is feeling good enough to go against Missouri. He joins the starting lineup for the first time since Feb. 1 at Alabama. He is wearing a compression sleeve over the knee.

Harris also gets a starting nod, his first Feb. 11 at Tennessee. He has scored just three points over the last three games and handed out four assists. It'd be big for Arkansas if Harris turned in a solid floor game today. Also curious to see what kind of role Reggie Chaney plays in this one.

Chaney scored a career-high 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in the teams' first meeting in Columbia, Mo. He played just five minutes, however, at Florida and 18 against Mississippi State last Saturday.

Missouri's starters: Dru Smith (6-3), Javon Pickett (6-5), Xavier Pinson (6-2), Reed Nikko (6-10) and Kobe Brown (6-7).

Entering today, the Tigers have won three of their last four games in SEC play, and Pinson has been a big reason why. In those three wins, he is averaging 28.6 points per game. He scored a then-career high 24 points against Arkansas in the teams' last meeting, but he's poured in 28 and 32 points since against Auburn and Ole Miss, respectively.

Missouri sharpshooter Mark Smith will not play today, Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin said Friday. Forward Jeremiah Tilmon is available to play today, per Dave Matter of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He will not start.

Dru Smith has taken on more of a scoring role in the absence of Mark Smith and Tilmon. He is averaging 21.6 points per game over his last three and taken 23 free throws over the last week. Coming into today, Missouri is 10th in the SEC in offensive efficiency (99.6) and 12th in defensive efficiency (107.4).

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