Rapid Rundown: Razorbacks survive Vanderbilt in OT at SEC Tournament

One down, four to go for Arkansas basketball after it picked up a 90-85 overtime victory over Vanderbilt at the SEC Tournament in Nashville.

For the 12-seed Razorbacks, the win extends the season another day and avenges an 85-82 loss to the ‘Dores at Bud Walton on Feb. 27.

Khalif Battle led the way for Arkansas with 24 points. Tramon Mark and Makhi Mitchell pitched in 18 a piece for the Hogs, and Trevon Brazile notched a 13-point, 12-rebound double-double in the win.

“Wednesday Sadness” lived up to its reputation early for the Razorbacks as Vanderbilt capitalized off eight Razorback turnovers and used a late 10-0 run to build up a 41-27 halftime lead.

Led by 21 points and 10 rebounds by inside-out duo Ezra Manjon and Ven-Allen Lubin, the Commodores shot 55% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc in the opening frame, 

Meanwhile, Arkansas sputtered to an ice cold 37% shooting overall and a 2 of 9 clip from three.

The Hoop Hogs hit the ground running out of the break as Tramon Mark caught fire with 14 points in seven minutes aided by triples from Khalif Battle and Trevon Brazile to close the gap to 53-50.

Vanderbilt responded with a 5-0 run to push its lead back to eight by the midway point of the second half, but back-to-back threes by Brazile and Devo Davis made it 58-56 with 9:15 to play.

Battle’s free throws on the ensuing offensive possession tied the game, but Arkansas regained the lead (62-60) on an incredible four-point play by Mark as the clock ticked below eight minutes.

Manjon and Battle traded basket after basket over the next three minutes as the game entered the final five minutes tied 66-66.

Then the big men took their turn as Mitchell and Lubin scored over the top of one another in the paint.

It wasn’t until a turnover and pair of Devo Davis free throws that Arkansas pushed its lead to 72-68 with four minutes to go.

A string of defensive stops and made free throws had the Hogs up by as many as eight before Vandy put together a furious rally to trim it to 76-74 with less than a minute to play.

A huge offensive rebound by El Ellis allowed Arkansas to get the ball to Battle, who connected on a pair of key free throws to extend the lead to 78-74 with 17 seconds to go.

A driving score by Manjon cut it to two, and a turnover on the ensuing inbound pass led to Manjon burying a game-tying jumper as time expired to send the game to overtime.

Vanderbilt drew first blood in overtime on a two-hand slam by Lubin, but Battle answered at the stripe to make it 80-80 a minute into the free period.

Brazile splashed a three to give Arkansas a three-point lead. A post score by Mitchell and an old-fashioned three-point play by Battle pushed the advantage to 88-81 with 1:39 to go.

Once again, Vanderbilt refused to go down quietly as Lubin scored inside and Manjon made a pair of free throws to cut Arkansas’ lead to 88-85 with 47 seconds on the clock.

Arkansas broke the press after a timeout and Battle snaked his way to the rim for a layup late in the shot clock that put the game on ice, 90-85.

Up Next

Arkansas will have just enough time to change uniforms and return to the hardwood with a quick turnaround to face 5-seed South Carolina.

Thursday’s tip between the Razorbacks (16-16) and Gamecocks (25-6) is set for approximately 2:30 CT on SEC Network.

South Carolina defeated Arkansas, 77-64, in the only meeting between the teams in Fayetteville on Jan. 20.