Troy State 74, Arkansas 66

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP)—Troy State senior guard Ben Fletcher had 23 points to lead the Trojans past Arkansas 74-66 Tuesday night.

Arkansas (1-3) kept it close but was not able to come away with the win.

Late in the game, the Razorbacks tried to close the gap with a 3-pointer by guard Blake Eddins. Jonathon Modica followed with a two-pointer, making it 65-59 with just more than six minutes left.

Then, with barely a minute to play, Modica nailed a free throw to bring Arkansas within four, 70-66. But he committed a foul shortly afterward, sending Greg Davis to the line for a pair of free throws and sealing Arkansas’ fate.

Arkansas scored first, on a dunk by forward Dionisio Gomez just seconds into the game. After an eight-point scoring drive, Troy State (4-1) answered with a 3-point bucket by junior guard Greg Davis.

Arkansas forward Michael Jones drained a 3-pointer to add to the Razorbacks’ lead, but three straight 3-pointers from the Trojans quickly turned the game around.

Troy State kept Arkansas at bay by no less than three points for the rest of the first half and led the Razorbacks at the half, 41-31.

The Razorbacks’ shooting was down in the first half, nailing 11 of 28 from the field and 3 of 11 from beyond the arc. Arkansas struggled at the free-throw line early in the game with a missed shot by forward Alonzo Lane and two missed by point guard Eric Ferguson, who led the team in scoring on the night with 15 points. But guard Jonathon Modica, Jones and forward Larry Satchell turned in perfect performances from the line, contributing two apiece.

Troy State forward Eddie Baker opened scoring in the second half with two points.

But Gomez tried to drive up the lane, which drew a foul and sent him to the line, where he went 1 of 2 and brought Arkansas within 10. Modica also went to the line early in the second half, where he nailed the first of his two shots, and Gomez posted another two from the rebound to cut the Trojans’ lead to 43-38.