FAYETTEVILLE -- Bobby Portis' humble side was on full display after he scored 24 points to lead Arkansas to a 97-79 victory over Alabama State Sunday in Walton Arena before an announced crowd of 4,475.
"For us to be successful, we're going to need everyone," said Portis, a 6-11 sophomore from Little Rock. "I wouldn't call myself the guy.
"I'm just a role player for my team."
Portis figures to play a starring role for the Razorbacks, who won their home opener for the 41st consecutive year. He was a first-team All-SEC preseason pick by the coaches and media.
"Bobby wants to win -- that's the bottom line," Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said. "But maybe his role is to be of impact, and that's a good thing when you think that.
"But the primary thought in his mind is win -- win."
Portis helped make sure Arkansas rallied to beat Alabama State -- which led 54-53 early in the second half -- by keying a 20-10 run that put the Razorbacks ahead 73-64 with 9:41 left. He started the scoring surge with two dunks in a 10-second span sandwiched around his steal, then hit a three-point basket.
"We know he's a big cog in what we're doing, and it's good to see our guys go to him," Anderson said. "He stepped out and made some threes, but more important, I thought we were getting the ball to him on time.
"So the experience factor is kicking in with this team that they're identifying where we have an advantage."
Portis hit 9 of 11 shots, including 3 of 3 on three-pointers.
"He can do it inside, he can do it outside," Alabama State Coach Lewis Jackson said. "He's really a phenomenal guy.
"He's long, he's athletic, and he really understands the game."
Before Portis asserted himself, Hornets senior guard DeMarcus Robinson had Alabama State looking like it could pull an upset.
Robinson scored 19 points of his 21 points in the first half, when he made all seven of his field-goal attempts, including five three-point baskets. He was held to two points in the second on free throws as he went 0 of 2 from the field.
"At halftime we came together and said we need to lock down on defense, not play too cool like we did starting off," said Arkansas junior guard Anthlon Bell, who had 2o points.
Jackson said the 5-10 Robinson, who played 38 minutes, got tired in the second half and struggled to find open looks.
""We paid attention to detail, we found him," Anderson said. "This kid can really shoot the basketball, but I thought in the first half we left him open a lot.
"We would rotate off of him and you don't leave the shooter, especially when the guy's got the hot hand."
The Razorbacks outscored the Hornets 27-10 in points off turnovers with a 16-0 edge in the second half when Alabama State had 12 of its 23 turnovers.
"We just didn't play tough enough in the second half," Jackson said. "We made lazy passes.
"They kind of got going there, and we never really recovered. They went up five or six, and we kind of lost our cool."
Senior forward Alandise Harris and junior guard Michael Qualls each scored 13 points for the Razorbacks. Senior guard Ky Madden had 6 points, 6 assists and 2 steals off the bench after missing practice the previous two days because of his grandfather's death.
"Ky got back here right before the game," Anderson said. "I thought it took him awhile to get back into rhythm, but he's big in what we do."
Nobody figures to be bigger than Portis for the Razorbacks, even if he's too modest to say it about himself.
"I wouldn't say I took over," Portis said of his role in the game's decisive stretch. "I just played the game.
"I let the game come to me. It was my time to score."
Sports on 11/17/2014