Darius Acuff Jr. scored 20 points and Meleek Thomas added 17 points to lead No. 21 Arkansas to a hard-earned win over Samford on Friday in Fayetteville, Ark.
Acuff made 7 of 13 attempts from the field overall, including 2 of 3 from 3-point range. Thomas shot 5 of 13 from the field in addition to grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out four assists. Trevon Brazile chipped in 15 points on 6-of-14 shooting for the Razorbacks (3-1), and Billy Richmond III and D.J. Wagner added 10 points apiece.
Zion Wilburn and Cade Norris each put up 15 points for Samford (2-2), both sinking three 3-pointers. Jadin Booth, the nation’s leading scorer through two games at 27.7 points per contest, was held to 14 points on a lackluster 3-of-15 night from the field.
Arkansas led by 10 points at halftime, but Samford got within three on a layup by Wilburn with 11:43 to play.
The Razorbacks finally pulled away with a 12-0 run that stretched their lead to a game-high 14 points, 69-54, with 7:08 remaining. Thomas capped the surge with two free throws.
Samford again managed to chip away in the closing minutes to tighten the final score, but there wasn’t enough time to overcome the deficit.
Arkansas took a 45-35 lead into the locker room at halftime, gaining separation with a 16-8 run that began with 9:18 left in the first half and lasted until just before the three-minute mark. The trio of Thomas (11), Acuff (10), and Brazile (10) each reached double figures in the first half, while the rest of the Arkansas lineup combined for just 14 points in the frame.
Samford got out to a fast start after Cade Norris scored seven of its first 12 points. The Bulldogs held their own for much of the first half thanks to a balanced performance that saw five players score at least five points. Wilburn led Samford with 11 points in the first half after making 4 of 5 attempts from the field and all three from beyond the arc.
