If Arkansas misses its two departed leading scorers from 2012-13, it didn't show it on Friday night.
The Razorbacks (1-0) shot 51 percent from the floor and added 25 free throws to knock the SIU Edwardsville Cougars (0-1) by a final of 99-65 on Friday night at Bud Walton Arena. Much of the estimated crowd of 6,500 (announced as 12,068) stayed to see if the Hogs could reach triple digits, but Dee Wagner's floater at the buzzer bounced off, one of only a few misses for the Hogs.
Many of the questions entering the 2013-14 were about scoring, and the sophomores from Mike Anderson's first true recruiting class in 2012 would be called on to improve after their first year on campus.
Anthlon Bell answered the bell, hitting 5 of 6 from beyond the arc to lead the team with 18 points. Fellow sophomore Michael Qualls added 16, including a thunderous tomahawk dunk over SIUE's 6-foot-10 center. The 2012 signees at forward also stepped up, as Coty Clarke scored 10 points and grabbed a team-high 8 rebounds while Jacorey Williams added 7 points with 4 rebounds.
The Hogs started sluggishly, not scoring until a Bobby Portis tip-in with 17:58 to play in the first half. After trailing 10-7 with 14:23 to go, the Hogs opened up on both offense and defense, going on a 39-6 run over the next 10 minutes, effectively icing the game. The Hogs led 56-27 at halftime behind the strength of 54 percent shooting.
With the game in hand by halftime, the second half began ugly for both teams. SIU-Edwardsville whittled the Arkansas lead down to 67-45 with 14:53 left, but the Hogs responded with a strong final six minutes, leading by as many as 38 in the game.
The game also marked the debuts of freshmen Portis (6 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks) and Moses Kingsley (4 points, 1 rebound, 1 block), but neither big man was utilized as much in the game as each had been in the two exhibition games. Arkansas' offense actually was at its best with both big men on the bench, as was the case for the majority of the 39-6 first-half run.
Junior Alandise Harris also had a nice debut after sitting out last season following his transfer from Houston. Harris attacked the basket throughout the night, finishing with 15 points and 4 rebounds on 5 of 7 from the floor.
Qualls had his share of highlight moments, namely the tomahawk dunk, but Qualls also added a two-hand slam off a steal. Clarke had a couple of dunks as well. Senior Mardracus Wade quietly scored 11 points on 3 of 4 from the field, pulling his best BJ Young impression with a couple of nice dribble penetrations and lay-up attempts, two of which helped him reach the free throw line.
The Hogs get a short break before hosting Louisiana-Lafayette next Friday night at Bud Walton Arena.