FAYETTEVILLE -- After a first half with the least, Moses Kingsley finished like a beast.
Kingsley's crucial tip-in completed what first-half hero Dusty Hannahs started and enabled the Arkansas Razorbacks to achieve a 60-60 regulation tie with Texas Tech and eventually a 75-68 overtime victory in Saturday's SEC/Big 12 Challenge game before an announced 13,751 at Walton Arena.
Kingsley was a big zero in the first half. Kingsley went scoreless and without a rebound while shooting guard Hannahs scored 21 of his 25 points.
When it ended, Kingsley had 17 points and 11 rebounds. A coast-to-coast dunk by Kingsley, achieved after rebounding a Tech missed jumper, brought the crowd to its feet and hammered the 69-64 nail in Tech's overtime coffin with 1:57 left.
More important, Kingsley's putback of a Hannahs three-point miss with 13 seconds left in regulation salvaged the 60-60 tie producing the overtime.
"I head-faked and missed the three," Hannahs said. "But luckily the Beast was down there to clean it up and put it back in. That was a huge play. Getting into overtime, that is where we pulled away."
Kingsley, moving like a 6-10 point guard on his length-of-the court dunk, incited the crowd to a noise level that discouraged Tech from getting back in it.
"Oh, that was huge," Hannahs said. "You could just hear everyone. The crowd started to stand up and they were ready to erupt. I thought Moses would put it between his legs or something. I'm glad he was safe and just put it in with two hands."
Especially after a first-half when he might as well have been all thumbs. A turnover and two fouls comprised Kingsley's first-half stats. The second foul benched Kingsley for the half's final 6:38.
"Not many games are you going to have Moses Kingsley go through a half and he is a zero-zero guy," Arkansas Coach Mike Anderson said. "But it shows you the capability of the guy. He gets a double-double in the second half and overtime. It just seems he came to life and that's huge for our team because people are really spreading out and guarding our perimeter guys. So we have to have an answer inside to open the floor up."
Arkansas' big first-half question mark became Arkansas' second-half answer and Hannahs' co-star.
Sophomore 6-9 reserve forward Trey Thompson played a major supporting role.
In 22 minutes Thompson had 9 rebounds, 3 blocked shots, 2 assists, a steal, and a basket that pulled Arkansas within 60-58 with 1:01 left in regulation before he fouled out the fourth time in five games.
"The first thing I told Trey, 'One thing about you man, you use all your fouls," Anderson said. "You don't take any with you.' But he plays like a warrior. He's one of those guys that fixes things."
Sports on 02/01/2016