FAYETTEVILLE — Daryl Macon scored a game-high 15 points to lead four Razorbacks in double figures and Arkansas broke open a tight game in the second half for a 71-55 home win over North Dakota State.
The win marked the fastest the Hogs (10-1) have reached double-digit victories in the six-year Mike Anderson tenure.
Arkansas was sluggish in the first half and for the first few minutes after halftime, but the Razorbacks used a 16-0 run early in the second half to turn a tie game into a commanding 45-29 lead. Dusty Hannahs scored eight during the run and North Dakota State (8-5) never got closer than 11 the rest of the game.
"I think that was the biggest run of the game," Macon said. "Our defense, we had to get stops. One thing we stressed at halftime was that we've got to get transition buckets and what we try to do is lead the country is fastbreak points, and that's what we tried to do in the second half."
Hannahs and Macon combined for three 3-pointers in the game-changing run early in the second half. Macon led the team in scoring again a game after scoring a season-high 23 in the win over Texas.
"I thought he played better in the second half," Arkansas coach Mike Anderson said. "... He has all the quickness, all the ability. It's a matter of him getting more consistent and I think you can see him getting more comfortable on the floor. When you've got a guy like him, and a guy like Dusty Hannahs you can stretch the floor."
Hannahs hit a 35-footer at the end of regulation to finish with 11 points, while Anton Beard and Moses Kingsley also finished with 11. Kingsley shook off another quiet first half on the offensive end and also finished with eight rebounds and a block.
Arkansas’ defense was impressive throughout. North Dakota State shot just 33.3 percent and turned the ball over 15 times.
"They speed you up, and speed you up mentally more than anything," North Dakota State coach David Richman said. "Good teams make you pay for your mistakes."
The Razorbacks scored 44 second-half points after shooting just 37 percent with nine turnovers in the opening 20 minutes, a continuation of their trend of struggling in the opening half and struggles that left them leading just 27-21.