FAYETTEVILLE -- University of Arkansas guard Isaiah Joe put his name high in the school record books with 10 three-pointers during Saturday's 121-89 rout of Florida International at Walton Arena.
Joe made 11 of 14 shots, 10 of 13 from three-point range, and finished with 34 points. He's the first Razorbacks player to make 10 since Rotnei Clarke against East Tennessee State on Nov. 27, 2009.
Joe tied Clarke and Pat Bradley for third on the team's single-game three-point chart, trailing Clarke's 13 vs. Alcorn State in 2009 and Al Dillard's 12 against Delaware State in 1993.
Joe had a quiet night going with just three points on 1-of-3 shooting as Arkansas built a 24-11 lead midway through the first half.
But after the Panthers reeled off nine consecutive points to pull within 24-20 and send a ripple of anxiety through the Walton Arena crowd, Joe started to heat up.
The freshman from Fort Smith Northside stopped the run with a three-point shot from the left wing then proceeded to make three more from behind the arc before halftime as the Razorbacks stretched their lead to 20-plus points.
Joe wound up connecting on six consecutive three-point goals in a span of 10 minutes straddling the first and second halves.
After opening the season hot with 7 of 13 three-point shooting through two games, Joe had a three-game lull in which he made 7 of 26 beyond the arc.
Joe's hot hand Saturday left him 24 of 52 (46.2 percent) on the season from three-point range.
Twin double-doubles
Two Arkansas players wound up with double doubles, led by Daniel Gafford's 23 points and 11 rebounds. Mason Jones joined Gafford with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Hot hand
Arkansas guard Jalen Harris had 10 assists for his second double-figure assists game of the season. He had a season-best 11 assists against Montana State.
Harris came up a point shy of a double-double as he scored nine points.
The sophomore from Wilson, N.C., now has 39 assists and 7 turnovers on the season for a 5.6 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Top play
The Razorbacks had numerous highlight plays, including nine dunks, but none better than Daniel Gafford's throw down at the 7:35 mark of the second half.
Point guard Jalen Harris had a defender on his hip as he dribbled with pace toward the circle, made eye contact with Gafford, then launched a perfect lob pass. Gafford thundered down the left baseline, snagged the pass near the rim and slammed it home to give the Hogs a 95-71 lead and send the Walton Arena crowd into an uproar.
Cracking 100
The Razorbacks cracked the 100-point mark on Adrio Bailey's driving layup at the 6:24 mark. Arkansas hit 100 for the first time this season after doing it three times last year in victories over Bucknell (101-73), Connecticut (102-67) and Oral Roberts (104-69).
High mark
The game was touted as a shootout between two pressing teams who like to get up and down the floor, and Arkansas held up its share of the hype.
The Razorbacks notched their highest halftime scoring total of the year by leading 58-35 at the break. Their previous high had been 54 points in a 90-68 victory over Montana State on Nov. 21.
Arkansas shot 55 percent (21 of 38) in the first half, including 47 percent (7 of 15) from three-point range.
The Panthers went 10 of 35 (29 percent) from the floor in the first half, with more than half their shots coming from three-point range in a 3 of 18 (17 percent) performance.
Dunkin' dimes
The Razorbacks' first three baskets came on dunks and all of them came off passes by their guards.
Daniel Gafford scored eight seconds after tipoff on a quick entry pass from Isaiah Joe.
Point guard Jalen Harris drove through the heart of the Panthers' defense, drew help and dished to Adrio Bailey for a slam at the 18:32 mark.
Florida International got on the board at the 17:49 mark to make it 5-3 but the Razorbacks struck quickly, with Harris again feeding Bailey for a dunk at 17:44.
The dunk streak was broken on Isaiah Joe's three-point shot from the left corner which put the Hogs ahead 10-3.
Coast to coast
Gabe Osabuohien made his presence felt moments after checking into the game. The 6-8 sophomore got the inbound pass after a three-point miss by Florida International went out of bounds and dribbled past half court with his defender Devon Andrews on his hip. With the court spread out and an open lane in front of him, Osabuohien kept his dribble and drove straight into the lane and got a favorable bounce on a finger roll while being fouled by Andrews. Osabuohien completed the three-point play at the 15:25 mark to give Arkansas its first double-figure lead at 15-5.
Steal king
Florida International guard Brian Beard Jr. fills up the stat sheet most nights. He ranked second in the country with 3.3 steals per game entering the night and the 5-10 guard nearly equaled his average in the first half.
Beard had three steals by halftime and all three led to immediate fouls by the Razorbacks against Gabe Osabuohien, Adrio Bailey and Desi Sills. Beard made two free throws after the third of the fouls.
Beard surpassed his average by intercepting a long outlet pass by Keyshawn Embery-Simpson intended for Reggie Chaney early in the second half.
The senior from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., finished with a team-high 21 points, including 10 of 12 free-throw shooting, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and a game-high 5 steals.
Block party
Daniel Gafford and Adrio Bailey notched four blocks apiece for the Razorbacks, who totaled 11 blocked shots. By contrast, the Panthers blocked just two shots.
On the board
Arkansas guard Jordan Phillips scored his first points of the season on a 16-footer at the left elbow with about three minutes left in the first half.
Phillips, a 6-7 freshman from Fort Worth, missed the first three games while recovering from a meniscus injury to his knee. He had been 0 for 7 before connecting.
Now a Panther
Former University of Arkansas at Little Rock guard Cameron Corcoran is sitting out this season as a transfer for Florida International. The 6-1 Corcoran averaged 6.7 points in 16.6 minutes per game as a freshman for the Trojans last season.
Sports on 12/02/2018