FAYETTEVILLE — On a Friday night when Arkansas was down 17 points in the first half, it was a pair junior guards - one a newcomer and the other a veteran looking like his old self again - who pushed the Razorbacks over the finish line.
Junior college transfer Jaylen Barford had a career-high 17 points, six rebounds, three steals and two assists while Anton Beard added 12 points, six rebounds and two assists in Arkansas’ 71-67 win over Texas-Arlington before 6,623 fans at Bud Walton Arena.
The Razorbacks (3-0) fell behind by 17 with 12:32 left in the opening half, were still trailing by 11 at halftime and eventually took the lead with Barford’s 8-0 run that put his team up 46-45 with 12:46 left.
“I think during halftime (Arkansas head) Coach (Mike Anderson) had said some words to me and I maybe kind of pushed myself to be aggressive and play more defense and be able to run the floor and just help my team get the win,” Barford said.
Beard then hit back-to-back 3-pointers for a 52-45 lead that capped a 15-0 run by the Razorbacks.
Barford was 6 of 12 from the field, 1 of 2 from 3-point line and 4 of 6 from the free throw line and stated that he is feeling more comfortable on the major college level.
“Yes, I am,” Barford said. “I know my team needed me in the first two games and it probably looked like I was very bad - and I knew I was bad.
“I think I am getting comfortable, getting acclimated to the team and playing free.”
Barford, a two-time junior college All-American and the nation’s leading judo scorer at 26.1 points per game last season for Motlow, Tenn., State, led the Razorbacks in nine categories on Friday night.
The only one he wasn’t happy about was having six turnovers.
“One of them (turnovers) I was not very proud of, but I was proud of the steals because I think I picked up the team’s energy,” Barford said. “We fed off the defense and we just emphasized the defense. Every stopped ball, we just kept emphasizing defense.”
Beard - who had a solid freshman season but struggled as a sophomore after being suspended for the first half of the season - had all 12 of his points in the second half.
“We said at halftime that they had the lead, but that was just temporary,” Beard said. “We had to just keep playing and keep our heads.”
His effort including hitting three big shots near the shot clock buzzer with two of them being 3-pointers.
“Anything under five (seconds) and I probably am going to shoot it,” Beard said. “That is what the team be laughing at me about. At those times, I just try to attack and make something happen because there is not much time on the shot clock.
“A lot of those shots don’t be planned. It just happens.”
Arkansas won despite subpar games from three starters in Dusty Hannahs (11 points on 2-of-10 shooting), Moses Kingsley (5 points, 3 rebounds, 4 blocks) and Daryl Macon (7 points on 2-of-6 shooting).
The Razorbacks shot just 39 percent overall (21-of-53), made only 5-of-15 3-pointers and hit 24-of-32 free throws, but did shoot 50 percent overall after intermission while outscoring the Mavericks (1-3) by 15.
“The way that we play, we have a team that some people are going to be off and some people are going to be on,” Beard said. “…We just tell them to keep playing, keep your head, it will come.”
Five of the Razorbacks six leading scorers on Friday night were guards.
“I think our guard play is great,” Barford said. “We have I think six guards that can rotate in and out and we have a lot of depth between our guards. I think we just feed off of each other and practice every day is like a game so we push each other.
“I think we have the best guards in the country honestly.”
Arkansas will next be in action Tuesday at Minnesota (4-0), which beat St. John's 92-86 on Friday night.
Texas-Arlington led Minnesota by 15 in the first half before falling 84-67 on the Gophers' home court.