Arkansas basketball drops back-and-forth nail-biter to Creighton at Maui Invitational
It felt more like March than late November on Tuesday when No. 9 Arkansas basketball met No. 8 Creighton in the semifinal of the Maui Invitational. It was a physical, back-and-forth nail-biter that went down to the wire.
The game was tied 10 times and it was Creighton that came away with the 90-87 win, handing Arkansas its first loss of the season.
"We couldn't play any harder than what we played," Arkansas coach Eric Musselman said in a postgame radio interview. "I can’t see it, facing more adversity than we faced tonight."
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Foul trouble shapes second half
Arkansas took a 1-point lead early in the second half. Creighton's next eight points came on free throws as the Razorbacks were hit with a flagrant-1, a technical and two personal fouls.
In the second half, Arkansas (4-1) was whistled for 17 personal fouls, one more than Creighton (5-0) had in the whole game. The Bluejays were in the bonus after about six minutes of play in the second half. All told, Creighton scored 23% of its points on 21-for-29 free-throw shooting. The Razorbacks were called for 22 personal fouls to Creighton's 16.
"I've coached a lot of games, a lot of years, and I've never seen anything like it," Musselman said of the difference in foul count.
With 8:38 left to play, guard Anthony Black was whistled for a personal foul as he chased down a driving Ryan Nembhard. Creighton's players getting behind the Razorback defense was a recurring theme, particularly in the second half, as the Bluejays kept up their pace.
Nembhard made both his free throws after the Black foul, and Arkansas never regained the lead.
Creighton offense poses challenge
Arkansas' stout defense faced its first big test in Creighton. The Bluejays' offense was the best Arkansas has had to contend with so far, and they finished shooting 58% from the field.
Creighton took shots early and often. It played fast, doing its best to beat Arkansas back down the floor after the Razorbacks' possessions. Arkansas managed to keep up well, forcing Creighton to take contested shots. The only problem? The Bluejays were making them.
Creighton shot 55% from the field in the first half, including 5-for-10 on 3-pointers.
The Razorbacks didn't let the game get out of hand, even when they got down by double digits. Arkansas trailed by six at halftime, and it was a close contest from then on.
Anthony Black's dominance continues
Just over 24 hours after his 26-point outburst against Louisville, Black had another stellar performance. He scored another 26 points and had six rebounds and six assists.
The freshman guard was a difference-maker from the start, reaching double figures less than 10 minutes into the game. He had 14, four assists and four rebounds by halftime.
Even when he wasn't doing the scoring, Black was making an impact. Early in the second half, he had an excellent pass to Ricky Council IV, who threw down a one-handed dunk. On the other end of the floor, Black got a steal, and the ensuing 3-pointer by Council gave the Razorbacks their first lead of the game.
Council was right behind Black scoring-wise with 24 points on 9-for-19 shooting. Trevon Brazile was in double figures, too, with 17 points. He had been quiet in Arkansas' Maui opener, playing under 10 minutes with one point.
Up next
Arkansas will play No. 17 San Diego State on Wednesday (9 p.m. CT, ESPN2).
Christina Long covers the Arkansas Razorbacks for the Southwest Times Record and USA TODAY Network. You can follow her on Twitter @christinalong00 or email her at clong@swtimes.com.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas basketball loses to Creighton at Maui Invitational
