BROOKE McNEELY Northwest Arkansas Times Arkansas freshman Courtney Fortson (4) jumps over Oklahoma players before getting fouled Tuesday during the first half of a game at Bud Walton Arena.

From Rotnei Clarke's game-opening trey you could tell the Arkansas Razorbacks were going to treat Tuesday night's packed Walton Arena to something special. This treat, though, soared even beyond their wildest imaginations.

Not only did the young, unranked Razorbacks beat the unbeaten nationally fourth-ranked Oklahoma Sooners, they never even trailed OU while winning 96-88.

It wasn't as easy as it might have appeared. OU, now 12-1, unleashed an 11-0 run in the first and a 16-0 run in the second half and still never could deter the Razorbacks, now 10-1. The Sooners couldn't quite catch up even as first-half Arkansas stalwarts Michael Washington, Stefan Welsh and Michael Sanchez were so plagued with second-half foul trouble that a football player, former wide receiver great Marcus Monk of Lepanto had to pick up the slack.

Variously subbing for Washington and Sanchez, Monk's 12 points, including 8 in the second half with 6 of 6 free throws to stop OU's run, and 6 rebounds were critical for Arkansas.

"I said before," Arkansas coach John Pelphrey said, "to win this game we were going to have to get a performance we haven't seen before from someone. Tonight we got it from Marcus Monk. One of the best performances I've ever seen. That Arkansas jersey means something to him."

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Cut by two NFL teams in 2008 after completing his Razorback football eligibility in 2007, former East Poinsett County basketball star Monk re-enrolled at the UA for grad school and joined the basketball team for the spring semester. He logged 20 minutes Tuesday while still not in basketball shape.

"My teammates were driving me," Monk said.

Monk was hardly the lone star. Washington's 24 points. 11 rebounds double-double Welsh's 19 points, Clarke's 15 points and a dozen points each from Courtney Fortson, Sanchez and Monk, not to mention freshman Fortson's 10 assists for a double-double.

"Fortson was magnificent," OU coach Jeff Capel said. "No question who their leader is. That speaks volumes for a freshman. He did everything you want a point guard to do. Congratulations to Arkansas. They were terrific. Their crowd was fantastic and they gave their crowd a lot to cheer about tonight."

Pelphrey lauded the attending 19,604 fans vocally pulling the Hogs through any times of trouble.

"What an awesome, awesome environment!, Pelphrey said. "I'm just glad we were able to do our part. It's literally humbling to be a part of this because OU has an unbelievable team."

OU, also in second-half foul trouble with a total 56 fouls called on both teams, got yeoman performances from freshman guard Willie Warren's game-leading 35 points, a 21 points/13 rebounds double-double from fouled-out All-American forward Blake Griffin and 18-points from hot second-half shooter Tony Crocker.

Other than Warren's trey answering Clarke's gameopening trey, OU trailed the entire first half.

Arkansas closed intermission up 53-38 even with OU compiling an 11-0 run.

Washington broke the 3-3 tie with a 3-point play and pretty much broke the Sooners for the first stanza with 17 first-half points, the last on a half-closing dunk, and 8 first-half rebounds.

Stefan Welsh's 13 first-half point also were huge. Welsh set the tone for Arkansas' early run stealing from Blake Griffin to set up a Michael Sanchez bucket as Sanchez tallied 9 first-half points.

Welsh hit 3 of 4 first-half treys. Two Welsh treys in succession, one off a deflection by Razorback guard Marcus Britt of Forrest City, and Welsh's feed to Sanchez had the Hogs up 21-8 and OU frantically calling timeout at 14:16.

Washington then hit consecutive baskets for a 25-8 lead at 13:44.

OU seemed unraveled when starting guard Tony Crocker, 12 points for the Sooners last season beat Arkansas, 83-72 in Norman, Okla., got two fouls in 10 seconds and sufficiently gyrated his protest of the second foul, his third for the game, that he got slapped with a technical.

Clarke hit two free throws then missed his first after going 20 of 20 for the season.

OU seized on the historic moment for its 11-0 run, initiated by Warren's trey and including a big Blake Griffin out of nowhere block of a Marcus Monk shot inside.

Washington snapped the run making the second free throw after a miss to put Arkansas up 42-31.

Shortly thereafter Washington scored inside inducing OU coach Jeff Capel to a technical foul as he apparently thought Washington fouled while scoring. Clarke shot the technicals and Monk scored the next two baskets, the second on a spectacular dunk to have the Sooners reeling down, 50-31.

However OU regrouped to score the next 7 points before Courtney Fortson found Washington for a dunk with :04 left.

OU's Warren, 4 of 6 on treys, led all first-half scorers with 20 points but Blake Griffin only tallied 6.

"He was too passive in the first half," Capel said. "And we shot too many threes (13 of 33 to Arkansas' 6 of 13). But it was they did to our defense that won the game. They attacked."

Arkansas got to the line 43 times and made 30 while OU was 11 for 22.

OU posted its 16-0 run after a Clarke trey had Arkansas up 72-47.

Crocker was on fire hitting 5 second-half treys.

"They were really focused on Blake in the first half," Warren said. "I was able to get open shots and I was able to make open shots, so they changed their defense up a little bit. They changed who was guarding who in the second half. I had a different defender on me, so it was easier for Crocker to get open because they were focused on me and Blake."

OU pulled within four points, 81-77 with 4:25 left, but could get no closer as Fortson fired to Washington for a dunk and then Washington got fouled and made 1 of 2 free throws and then, off a Sanchez steal, made a layup at 2:52 after OU cut the lead to 5.

"We are a young, inexperienced team," Clarke, the Oklahoman from Claremore said, "but we showed we can play and we're tough, especially down the stretch."