How Arkansas basketball took down No. 12 LSU on the road

Davonte Davis lost a tooth, but Arkansas won the game Saturday as the Razorbacks took down No. 12 LSU 65-58 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Even without coach Eric Musselman, who underwent shoulder surgery this week, Arkansas got its biggest win of the season. Keith Smart is serving as interim coach of the Razorbacks for at least two games.

Despite struggling to make 3-pointers all game, baskets by Davis and JD Notae with under five minutes to play helped give Arkansas (12-5, 2-3 SEC) a two-point lead late.

Arkansas had been down by as many as 8 midway through the second half. Notae was whistled for a blocking foul on the 3-point line, his fourth with 10 minutes left to play.

He was leading Arkansas with 14 points at the time, and as he sat out, Arkansas started on a four-minute scoring drought that allowed LSU (15-2, 3-2) to take an 8-point lead.

But a 10-0 run that included 3-pointers by Davis and Notae brought Arkansas back to life, and a strong series by Jaylin Williams helped stave off LSU's comeback. Williams forced a turnover, then made a 3-pointer to give Arkansas a three-point lead, then drew his fourth charge of the game.

TOOTHLESS: Arkansas Razorbacks' Davonte Davis loses tooth after getting fouled by LSU Tigers

KEITH SMART: Five things to know about Arkansas men's basketball interim coach Keith Smart

More: Meet the Texas teacher behind Arkansas basketball coach Eric Musselman's custom Nike shoes

"Coming out of one of the timeouts, Coach Gus (Argenal) and Coach Smart told me, ‘You’re going to get open on the three-point line. Be confident, shoot the shot. You work on it. Be confident and take that three,’" Williams said. "I saw my opportunity, took the three, and it just felt good. My teammates believed in me to take the shot, so I just took it."

Williams had his third consecutive double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds and took more than three charges for the fourth time this season. The go-ahead 3 was his first make from beyond the arc since Dec. 11.

Players showered Smart in water and Gatorade in the locker room after the win, and Musselman joined the celebration via FaceTime.

"Every game you win is a big game, and they have to celebrate every game when they win one and learn from the ones they lose," Smart said. "When I walked in, I knew something was up, because everybody was quiet and it was real fishy."

Against an LSU defense that ranks sixth nationally in lowest 3-point percentage allowed (26.3%), Arkansas didn't make a 3-pointer in the first half despite eight attempts. Arkansas ended its drought at the start of the second half as Notae and Umude made their first two attempts. It kicked off a second half that saw Arkansas make 5-of-9 from 3-point range.

Arkansas entered the game with the second-worst 3-point defense in the SEC. It held LSU to 5-of-19.

Arkansas shot nearly 42% against LSU's defense, ranked No. 1 in the country in terms of opponent field goal percentage (35%).

Arkansas struggled with giveaways once again Saturday despite cleaning up its turnover problems in its last game against Missouri. The Razorbacks had 10 in the first half alone resulting in seven LSU points, and finished with 19. But LSU coughed up 16 for 20 Arkansas points.

"The team is really confident right now," Williams said. "I think that we’ve got to just look forward to the next game and play just as hard, and then we can get on a run."

Up next: Arkansas hosts South Carolina on Jan. 18 (6 p.m. CT, SECN).

Christina Long covers the Arkansas Razorbacks. You can email her at clong@swtimes.com or follow her on Twitter @christinalong00.

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Without coach Eric Musselman, Arkansas basketball wins at No. 12 LSU