PORTLAND, Ore. — Daniel Gafford barely shot 50 percent from the free throw line as a senior in high school. The El Dorado native badly missed his first jump shot attempt Thursday against Oklahoma, firing up a brick in the second half.
But when the 6-foot-11 Arkansas freshman center wound up with the ball in his hands and the shot clock running down on a crucial late-game possession, he didn’t hesitate.
Gafford stepped up and knocked down a clutch 18-foot baseline jumper with four seconds left on the shot clock and 1:03 left in the game to give the Razorbacks an 85-81 lead over the Sooners, then grabbed a defensive rebound, went to the foul line and hit two free throws with 38 seconds left to extend it to six.
Those three late shots helped Arkansas hang on for a 92-83 win over OU and electric freshman guard Trae Young in the first round of the Phil Knight Invitational at the Moda Center. They also provided a glimpse at Gafford’s growth since arriving on campus.
“Those are good shots for him,” Arkansas senior guard Anton Beard said. “He’s expanding his game and those are shots that’s he’s going to be taking most of the year.”
With the win, the Razorbacks secured a 2:30 p.m. rematch today with defending national champion North Carolina, the team that knocked them out of the NCAA Tournament in March.
Gafford’s free throws were part of a 27 of 33 day at the line for Arkansas (4-0), including a 22 of 27 performance in the second half. The Razorbacks iced a fast-paced, up-and-down game at the charity stripe.
In the final four minutes, Arkansas made 9 of 12 at the line as it closed with a 13-6 run to get past a pesky Sooners team that wouldn’t go away despite never leading for the game’s final 35 minutes.
“That was the difference in the game,” Arkansas coach Mike Anderson said.
Gafford had plenty of help from Beard and Arkansas’ other two senior guards. Daryl Macon hit 6 of 8 3-pointers and scored a team-high 27 points, Jaylen Barford knocked down three 3-pointers of his own and scored 19 and Beard finished with 14.
“They were really good,” OU coach Lon Kruger said. “They made shots, especially in the first half, then did things they needed to down the stretch.”
It marked the fourth time in as many games to start the season each member of the quartet has scored in double figures. They combined to score 73 of of Arkansas’ 92 points, including 22 of 23 over the final seven-plus minutes.
Arkansas needed big contributions from each of them to fend off Young, a McDonald’s All-American who led the nation in assists entering the game.
Thursday, he was more of a scorer, slicing through the Razorback defense for a game-high 28 points in a game filled with quick shots and lots of offense. His ballhandling, passing and shot-making ability were on full display for NBA scouts present at the talent-laden tournament.
“I always say guys got to get out there and make him shoot from them from 35 feet out, but he’s crafty enough where he can get in there and make some plays not only for himself but other people,” Anderson said. “… I thought we actually did a pretty decent job on him but there were times he got loose.”
Young got where he wanted on the court and set up his teammates for open looks most of the game, but Arkansas did a better job contesting his shots as the game wore on, holding him to three makes in his final 11 attempts after a 5 of 7 start.
“He was making a lot of shots in the first half, deep 3s and everything,” Beard said. “We came together as a team and decided off the pick-and-roll to just trap him harder than what we was doing and really just lock in on D.”
Young and the Sooners had success breaking Arkansas’ press and converting what essentially amounted to transition opportunities at times, but the fast pace may have worn on OU.
“We had some good looks late and then we forced some action into the paint there late when we had a little bit more frantic possessions than you’d like to have,” Kruger said. “Things we have to learn from.”
The Sooners’ 19 turnovers led to 20 Arkansas points and OU made just 8 of 29 from 3-point range, including just 2 of 12 after halftime.
“That’s where I talk about the fool’s gold,” Anderson said. “You get some things, but you also give up some things. … I thought (the press) also made them expend some energy. They expended a lot of energy. You look at the free throws going down the stretch, the shots going down the stretch, you’re not as effective.”