FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) Just two days removed from a 30-point win over Wake Forest, Arkansas overcame a sluggish start to beat Delaware State 99-71 Friday night.
The Razorbacks (3-0) trailed by one with six minutes remaining in the first half before turning up their defensive pressure and outscoring the Hornets 19-4 to close out the half.
The run was sparked by a Delaware State turnover that led to a layup by Michael Qualls, which gave Arkansas a lead it would not lose.
Arkansas followed with a sequence that included an offensive rebound off a missed free throw, two blocked shots - one by Bobby Portis and one by Jacorey Williams - and two Delaware State turnovers in a two-minute span.
The second half started similar to the first, with Delaware State hanging with the Razorbacks and even cutting the lead from 17 points to nine at the 12-minute mark.
A timeout by Arkansas head coach Mike Anderson settled the Razorbacks down and the lead quickly ballooned back to 16.
The Razorbacks led by as many as 31 late in the game.
Qualls led Arkansas with 20 points and three other Razorbacks also reached double figures. Williams contributed a career-high 14 points, while Portis and Anthlon Bell each had 14 points as well.
Ky Madden didn't score until the second half, but he distributed the ball well, notching a career-high eight assists.
Tyshawn Bell led Delaware State (2-2) with 19 points, while DeAndre Haywood and Kendall Gray had 15 and 10 points, respectively.
TIP-INS
Delaware State: The Hornets turned the ball over 24 times, nearly twice their average coming into the game. The turnovers led to 33 points for the Razorbacks.
Arkansas: Despite Watkins scoring only six points in 19 minutes, the Razorbacks outscored Delaware State by 21 with him on the court. His plus-21 was the second best for the game, behind Madden's plus-22 in 28 minutes.
UP NEXT
Delaware State's six-game road trip continues Wednesday at Iona.
Arkansas travels to Dallas on Tuesday to play a struggling SMU team. The Mustangs were No. 22 in the preseason poll, but have lost their last two games.
