Razorbacks turn Gators into handbags
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Sources - Associated Press, Southeastern Conference
Sonny Weems scored 17 points, and Arkansas raced to a 25-point halftime lead en route to an 80-61 victory over No. 20 Florida on Saturday at Bud Walton Arena on the Fayetville campus.
Gary Ervin added 15 points and six assists for the Razorbacks, who gave coach John Pelphrey a win over his mentor Billy Donovan. Pelphrey was an assistant for Donovan for seven years at Marshall and Florida.
Arkansas led 46-21 after a nearly flawless first half. The Razorbacks shot 58 percent in the half and turned the ball over only three times.
An alley-oop dunk by Steven Hill gave Arkansas an 8-2 lead, and although Florida scored the next six points, the Razorbacks (16-5, 5-2 SEC) were setting the tone. The Gators' Nick Calathes appeared to have Arkansas beaten down the court for an easy layup, but Weems hustled back and swatted the shot away.
Moments later, Weems drove the baseline and dunked to start a 20-4 run that broke the game open. Ervin ended the first half with a driving layup after a Florida turnover. The Razorbacks jumped around briefly at midcourt before running off as the crowd of 19,881 roared.
As if the fans weren't having enough fun, new football and former Atlanta Falcons coach Bobby Petrino came out on the court during a timeout in the first half and led a rousing ``Pig Sooie cheer.
Florida lost all five starters from the team that won a second straight national title last season. The Gators have overcome their inexperience for most of the season, but they looked overwhelmed against Arkansas.
Florida (18-4, 5-2) missed its first 13 attempts from 3-point range and finished 4-of-25. Walter Hodge led the Gators with 13 points.
The Razorbacks kept pouring it on in the second half. After a scramble at midcourt, Calathes was again in good position for a layup, but Charles Thomas came over and swatted the shot out of bounds.
Weems made a 3-pointer, then Michael Washington slammed in an offensive rebound for a 62-32 lead.
Pelphrey is in his first season as Arkansas' coach, but he had faced Donovan once before. In 2006, when Pelphrey was the coach at South Alabama (Sun Belt Conference), his team lost to Florida 76-50 in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
The two embraced before the game as the teams warmed up.
Darian Townes scored 14 points for Arkansas, and Patrick Beverley added eight points and 12 rebounds.
Calathes and Marreese Speights scored 12 points apiece for Florida. Calathes added seven assists. The Gators turned the ball over only nine times but shot just 33 percent from the field.
Arkansas avenged a 21-point loss to Florida in the championship game of last season's SEC tournament in Atlanta. This was the Gators' most lopsided defeat since an 82-62 loss to Kentucky in 2004.
