Arkansas outlasts Vanderbilt 90-85 in OT in first round of SEC tourney
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Khalif Battle scored seven of his 24 points in overtime and Arkansas defeated Vanderbilt 90-85 in the first round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament on Wednesday night.
Arkansas, the 12th seed, will play No. 5 seed South Carolina in Thursday's quarterfinals.
Battle sank 5 of 13 shots with a 3-pointer and 13 of 14 free throws for the Razorbacks (16-16). He also had six rebounds and three assists. Tramon Mark scored all 18 of his points in the second half. Makhi Mitchell came off the bench to score 18, adding seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Trevon Brazile finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Reserve Davonte Davis scored 12 before fouling out.
Ezra Manjon had 29 points, five rebounds and five assists to pace the Commodores (9-23). Ven-Allen Lubin totaled 21 points, 10 rebounds and three steals. Freshman Jaqualon Roberts scored 10.
Lubin had 11 points, Manjon scored 10 and Vanderbilt shot 50% from the floor and 3-point line on the way to a 41-27 advantage at halftime. Mitchell had eight points off the bench to lead Arkansas and Davis scored seven as the Razorbacks' starters managed just 12 first-half points.
Mark heated up in the second half and his four-point play gave the Razorbacks a 62-60 lead with 7:57 remaining.
Mitchell had a layup and Davis followed with two free throws to give the Razorbacks their first two-possession lead at 72-68 with 4:03 to go. Mitchell sank two foul shots to push the lead to 76-68 with two minutes remaining. Vanderbilt battled back and forced overtime tied at 78 on Manjon's jumper in the final second.
Lubin's dunk opened overtime and gave the Commodores their last lead. Battle made two free throws to tie it at 80. Brazile buried a 3-pointer with 2:54 to go and the Razorbacks stayed in front from there.
It matched the largest comeback from a halftime deficit since the event resumed in 1979. Alabama rallied from 14 down to beat Mississippi in 2019.
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