Arkansas beats Gonzaga 76-72 in exhibition comeback win
Web StoryWatch this story in 15 seconds →Key takeaways
- 12th-ranked Arkansas beat 15th-ranked Gonzaga 76-72 on Saturday, October 24.
- Arkansas trailed by 10 points in the first half before a big run turned the game.
- Freshman Davion Thompson hit the late 3-pointer that sealed the win at Bud Walton Arena.
Arkansas beat Gonzaga 76-72 in a college basketball exhibition game. The game took place on Saturday, October 24, at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville. Arkansas came back from 10 points down to win a close finish.
An exhibition game is a practice game before the real season starts. The result does not count toward either team's regular-season record. Teams use these games to test players and fix problems early.
That is why this game still drew a big crowd and a lot of searches. Two ranked teams met before the season even began. Fans wanted an early look at both squads.
What happened
Gonzaga controlled the first half for long stretches. The Bulldogs built their largest lead at 36-26 with 2:14 left before halftime. Arkansas looked out of sorts, with 10 turnovers by halftime.
Arkansas then closed the half with a 9-0 run. That run cut the gap to 36-35 at the break. The home crowd found its voice again.
The Razorbacks opened the second half with another 9-0 run. Put together, Arkansas outscored Gonzaga 24-3 across nearly nine minutes. That swing turned a 10-point deficit into an 11-point lead.
Arkansas led 50-39 with 14:21 left in the second half. Gonzaga refused to fold, as good teams do. The Bulldogs cut the lead to 52-49 with 10:39 left.
JJ Andrews and Billy Richmond III answered with back-to-back 3-pointers. Those two shots gave Arkansas room to breathe again. Arkansas pushed its lead back to 11 points at 66-55 with 6:46 left.
Gonzaga then went on an 11-2 run of its own. That run made it a two-point game at 68-66 with 2:59 left. The finish was set up for a tense last two minutes.
Miikka Muurinen answered with a layup for Arkansas. Gonzaga star Braden Huff then cut the lead back to two points. Neither team scored for the next 1:16.
Then came the shot of the game. Arkansas led by two with just over a minute to play. The shot clock was down inside five seconds.
Freshman Davion Thompson drilled a step-back 3-pointer from the top of the key. That shot put Arkansas up five at 73-68. The crowd at Bud Walton Arena erupted.
Richmond added one free throw with four seconds left. That final point sealed a 76-72 Arkansas win. The official box score listed the crowd at 16,436 fans.
The players who decided it
Richmond led Arkansas with 17 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. He scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half. He also hit three 3-pointers in the game.
Richmond did more than score for his team. His five assists helped Arkansas move the ball better after halftime. His seven rebounds gave Arkansas extra help on the glass.
Thompson finished with 12 points off the bench. His late 3-pointer was the biggest shot of the game. It came when Arkansas needed a score most.
Andrews and Muurinen each scored 10 points for Arkansas. Andrews added nine rebounds, just short of a double-double. Cooper Bowser scored nine points and led Arkansas with 10 rebounds.
Huff led Gonzaga with 19 points and 11 rebounds. He scored 15 of his points in the second half. Izan Almansa added 14 points and six rebounds off the bench for Gonzaga.
The team numbers tell a clear story about the game. Gonzaga outrebounded Arkansas 52-47 in total. Gonzaga also won second-chance points 17-11 and paint points 36-22.
Arkansas won the game from long range instead. The Razorbacks made 11 of 24 shots from 3-point range. That is 45.8 percent, a strong mark for any game.
Gonzaga made only 6 of 28 shots from 3-point range. That is 21.4 percent, a cold night from deep. Arkansas also cleaned up its ball control after halftime.
Arkansas committed only two turnovers in the second half. That was a big change from 10 turnovers in the first half. Better ball control helped Arkansas hold its lead late.
Why it matters
This win says something real about Arkansas, even as an exhibition. The Razorbacks showed they can recover from a bad start. They fixed their turnover problem at halftime and played cleaner ball.
It also showed Arkansas has depth beyond one star. Richmond led the scoring, but Thompson, Andrews, and Muurinen all reached double figures. Bowser gave Arkansas rebounding help inside.
That depth matters in a long college season. Teams need more than one scorer to win big games. Arkansas found scoring from several players on Saturday.
For Gonzaga, the game showed both strength and a warning sign. The Bulldogs controlled the paint and the glass for most of the night. They also fought back twice from double-digit deficits.
But their cold 3-point shooting cost them late. When Arkansas made big shots, Gonzaga could not match them from deep. That gap decided a four-point game.
The result also fits a strong Arkansas trend at home. Arkansas improved to 77-11 all-time in exhibition games, according to its own report. At home, Arkansas is 68-9 in exhibitions.
Arkansas has now won 41 straight home exhibition games. That streak shows how hard Bud Walton Arena is for visitors. Even a ranked team like Gonzaga could not break it.
Fans also got a first look at the new college season. College football still fills fall weekends, but basketball season is now close. This game gave fans a reason to start watching the hardwood.
Basketball fans have more to watch this weekend too. The Grizzlies-Warriors guide covers another big basketball night. College fans can also follow the Michigan State-UCLA game for more weekend action.
What happens next
Arkansas plays its second exhibition on Wednesday, October 28. The Memphis Tigers visit Bud Walton Arena for that game.
Tipoff is set for 7 in the evening, and the game will air on SEC Network+. That game gives Arkansas one more test before games start to count. Coaches will watch which players earn bigger roles.
Fans will watch whether the second-half form holds up.
Gonzaga returns home for its next exhibition. The Bulldogs host Lewis-Clark State on Wednesday evening. Gonzaga will want a cleaner shooting night in that game.
Both teams will then turn to the regular season. Exhibition wins do not count in the standings. But the lessons from Saturday will travel with both teams.
Arkansas learned it can win when its offense starts slowly. Gonzaga learned it must shoot better from deep to beat ranked teams. Those lessons are worth more than the exhibition score itself.
For now, Arkansas owns a 76-72 win over a ranked rival. Thompson owns the shot fans will replay all week. And college basketball fans have their first big talking point of the new season.
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