Arkansas holds off No. 14 Michigan 89-87 in Jimmy V Classic at MSG
NEW YORK (AP) — Boogie Fland scored 20 points as Arkansas stormed back from a 15-point deficit, withstood a late comeback attempt and hung on for an 89-87 victory over No. 14 Michigan on Tuesday night in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden.
D.J. Wagner added 16 points for the Razorbacks (8-2), who went without a basket for the final 3:01 and nearly blew an 18-point lead. Trevon Brazile added 15 points and a key block on Vladislav Goldin with 14 seconds left.
Goldin scored 17 for Michigan (8-2), which had won seven straight games and was trying to match last season’s win total already. Danny Wolf added 14 points, while Will Tschetter and Roddy Gayle Jr. contributed 13 apiece.
After cutting a 15-point deficit to 49-45 by halftime, the Razorbacks took an 18-point lead midway through the second period before allowing a 16-2 run. Michigan pulled to 88-87 on a basket by Wolf with 88 seconds left but did not score again.
Takeaways
Michigan: The Wolverines shot 57.6% but were extremely streaky. Besides hitting 11 in a row to get the big lead in the first half, they also made seven straight to chip away at the 18-point deficit.
Arkansas: Depth showed up for the Razorbacks, who had five players score in double figures.
Key moment
With a chance at tying the game, Johnell Davis contested Gayle’s jumper right before the buzzer well to prevent overtime.
Key stat
Arkansas scored 69 points either in the paint or behind the 3-point line.
Up next
The Wolverines face No. 13 Oklahoma on Dec. 18 in Charlotte. Arkansas hosts Central Arkansas on Saturday.