Hogs outlast SE Louisiana
Men's Basketball
Bart Pohlman
Issue date: 11/17/08 Section: Sports
It wasn't pretty, and it wasn't easy, but it was still a win.
Michael Washington scored a career-high 30 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead Arkansas past Southeastern Louisiana 91-86 in overtime Friday night at Bud Walton Arena.
But if it weren't for a final-minute flurry of points to force overtime, the Razorbacks would have lost a home opener for the first time in 35 years.
With the Hogs down by four, junior Montrell McDonald found freshman Rotnei Clarke, who drained a 3-pointer from the corner to cut the Lions' lead to 76-75 with 28 seconds left in regulation.
The Razorbacks then fouled to stop the clock, and Brandon Fortenberry made only one of two free throws.
Freshman Courtney Fortson then hit a layup to tie the game and send it into overtime.
In the extra period, Washington took over for Arkansas.
The junior scored seven of the Razorbacks' 14 overtime points to lead Arkansas to the win.
Arkansas head coach John Pelphrey said he was impressed with Washington's effort.
"We broke him down tonight, in terms of minutes," Pelphrey said. "I can't say enough about that performance. That's unbelievable."
Clarke said Washington has been playing well in practice and it has carried over into games.
"He shows a lot of passion and a lot of leadership in practice," Clarke said. "He's one of the hardest workers. He's drawing charges. He's doing everything he can to be a better player. He's not just hard to stop on offense, he's a great defensive player, too."
With Washington leading the way, the Razorbacks were able to avoid losing a home opener for the first time since 1973.
Clarke said the team would have been disappointed if they had lost in front of the Bud Walton crowd.
"We're a young team and we're learning a lot of things, and I'm sure we'll learn a lot from looking at the game film," Clarke said. "But we showed a lot of heart coming back and sending the game into overtime and winning."
Michael Washington scored a career-high 30 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead Arkansas past Southeastern Louisiana 91-86 in overtime Friday night at Bud Walton Arena.
But if it weren't for a final-minute flurry of points to force overtime, the Razorbacks would have lost a home opener for the first time in 35 years.
With the Hogs down by four, junior Montrell McDonald found freshman Rotnei Clarke, who drained a 3-pointer from the corner to cut the Lions' lead to 76-75 with 28 seconds left in regulation.
The Razorbacks then fouled to stop the clock, and Brandon Fortenberry made only one of two free throws.
Freshman Courtney Fortson then hit a layup to tie the game and send it into overtime.
In the extra period, Washington took over for Arkansas.
The junior scored seven of the Razorbacks' 14 overtime points to lead Arkansas to the win.
Arkansas head coach John Pelphrey said he was impressed with Washington's effort.
"We broke him down tonight, in terms of minutes," Pelphrey said. "I can't say enough about that performance. That's unbelievable."
Clarke said Washington has been playing well in practice and it has carried over into games.
"He shows a lot of passion and a lot of leadership in practice," Clarke said. "He's one of the hardest workers. He's drawing charges. He's doing everything he can to be a better player. He's not just hard to stop on offense, he's a great defensive player, too."
With Washington leading the way, the Razorbacks were able to avoid losing a home opener for the first time since 1973.
Clarke said the team would have been disappointed if they had lost in front of the Bud Walton crowd.
"We're a young team and we're learning a lot of things, and I'm sure we'll learn a lot from looking at the game film," Clarke said. "But we showed a lot of heart coming back and sending the game into overtime and winning."
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