Hogs continue their hot shooting in blowout win

BY BRANDON MARCELLO Northwest Arkansas Times

Posted on Sunday, February 3, 2008

URL: http://www.wholehogsports.com/nwat/61895/

Arkansas’ guards are beginning to realize that when Sonny Weems finds his three-point stroke, they’re probably next in line for a rhythmic trey.

The senior hit 3-of-4 threepointers against Florida on Saturday, and also dished out five assists. His presence on the court has brought the Razorbacks a new sense of confidence that can only be credited to extra practice and hard work, his teammates said after the Hogs ’ 80-61 offensive domination of the visiting Gators.

“ He brings it every night because he’s so versatile, ” sophomore point guard Stefan Welsh said. “ It hasn’t been easy, but he opens it up for everybody and so does Patrick [Beverley ]. It’s their individual effort bringing us together to achieve our goals. ”

Weems helped key the Hogs’ first run that proved to be the motivational difference in the game. After a Nick Calathes jumper, Weems fired back with a monstrous dunk that fueled the Bud Walton Arena crowd of 19, 881.

Twenty-five seconds later, the senior hit his first of three 3-pointers. Then, with 11: 54 remaining in the first half, and less than one minute after his trey, Weems hit a floater in the lane that gave Arkansas a 15-8 advantage it would never relinquish.

The three consecutive buckets, Welsh said, boosted the Hogs’ confidence.

Beverley soon got in on the action and hit a trey to give the Hogs a 33-16 lead with 4: 42 remaining in the first half. The three-pointer was assisted by none other than Weems himself.

The shooting epidemic spread throughout for the Razorbacks. Dunks came easy for Steven Hill and Darian Townes, and mid-range jumpers began to fall for Weems.

“ It’s something we try to stick to in practice, ” Weems said. “ We know we can shoot threes. We’re a good shooting team. It’s just up to us to make them. ”

Meanwhile, Florida missed all 10 of its threepoint attempts in the first half and finished the night just 4 of 25 from beyond the arc. The Gators were third in the SEC in three-point field goal percentage (36. 4 percent ) heading into the game against Arkansas.

“ Every time they make shots, they usually win, ” Arkansas head coach John Pelphrey said. “ That threepoint line sometimes can break your heart. I think we did a good job, but I also think it was one of those nights when the ball wasn’t going down for them. And if it does go down for them, it could have been different. ”

The Hogs hit 6-of-18 three-pointers in the game, but attempted just six after halftime with a 25-point lead and the game in hand.

“ It’s not all about shooting threes, ” Arkansas point guard Gary Ervin said. “ It’s the in-between game. ”

Arkansas finished the afternoon hitting 54. 2 percent of its field goal attempts. Florida coach Billy Donovan credited the success to experience, and said the Hogs ’ physical play reminded him more of an NBA team than a college squad.

“ You can see them getting better and improving as a team. There’s a reason they were picked to win the [SEC ] West and fight for an SEC Championship, ” Donovan said. “ They have a veteran, older and experienced team that is really, really talented. ”

It also helps to have a little bit of confidence, Ervin said.

“ It’s a combination of everything. The biggest thing of all is confidence, ” the senior Mississippi State transfer said. “ Shooting is all about confidence. Right now our confidence is very high. We feel if we have an open shot, we’re going to step up and knock the shot down. ”