Razorbacks survive against Wofford

REUTERS

10 years ago

Mar 19, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks forward Bobby Portis (10) looks for an open teammate as Wofford Terriers forward C.J. Neumann (31) defends in the second half of a game in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Jacksonville Veteran Memorial Arena. (Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports)

Mar 19, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Wofford Terriers guard Karl Cochran (2) defends Arkansas Razorbacks guard Anthlon Bell (5) in the first half of a game in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Jacksonville Veteran Memorial Arena. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Mar 19, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Michael Qualls (24) looks to pass near the baseline as Arkansas Razorbacks guard Anton Beard (31) defends in the first half of a game in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Jacksonville Veteran Memorial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Mar 19, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Michael Qualls (24) tries to drive to the basket against Wofford Terriers guard Spencer Collins (14) in the first half of a game in the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Jacksonville Veteran Memorial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Michael Qualls scored 20 points on 8-of-9 shooting as the fifth-seeded Razorbacks survived a nip-and-tuck affair to bring home a 56-53 win in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Jacksonville, Fla.

Bobby Portis had 15 points and 13 rebounds for Arkansas (27-8), which takes on No. 4 seed North Carolina in Saturday’s round of 32. Alandise Harris chipped in eight points – including a big three-point play down the stretch – and eight boards to help the Razorbacks to their first tournament win since 2008.

Spencer Collins led the 12th-seeded Terriers (28-7) with 16 points and a season-high nine rebounds while leading scorer Karl Cochran had 12 points on 4-of-19 shooting. Jaylen Allen hit 3-of-4 3-pointers en route to 12 points for Wofford, which shot 31.6 percent.

Neither team led by more than five points in a tight first half as Wofford carried a 28-27 lead into the locker room after Allen’s 3-pointer in the final minute. Qualls had a thunderous dunk and a jumper in the early moments of the second half to give Arkansas a 33-30 lead, but Cochran’s 3-pointer and Allen’s three-point play helped the Terriers take a one-point edge with less than 12 minutes to go.

Qualls had two more slams to put the Razorbacks on top again and Portis had two free throws, an assist and a layup in a short span to help Arkansas claim a 53-51 lead with a little over two minutes left. Harris snapped a tie moments later with his three-point play and the Terriers missed two open 3-point tries in the final 10 seconds, including one at the buzzer by Eric Garcia.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Wofford fell to 0-4 in the tournament. … Arkansas was given a delay-of-game warning in the first half after G Rashad Madden lost his shoe, kicked it to the sidelines and had another thrown onto the floor by a teammate. … The Razorbacks also played North Carolina in the round of 32 in their last appearance in 2008, falling 108-77.