NORTH LITTLE ROCK — Isaiah Joe scored 21 points, Mason Jones added 20 and Arkansas beat Valparaiso 72-68 in the first meeting between the teams on Saturday night.
It was the Razorbacks' annual trip to North Little Rock. They improved their record to 12-9 over the last 21 visits.
Adrio Bailey and Jimmy Whitt Jr. added 10 points each for Arkansas (10-1).
Valparaiso had the largest lead of the second half at 59-51, but Arkansas rallied and took to lead at 68-65 with 53 seconds left on the second of Jones' back-to-back 3-pointers. Joe extended the lead with a pair of free throws with 36 seconds left and Jones made a pair from the foul line with 25 seconds left to cap the scoring.
The Razorbacks opened the game with an 18-5 lead, but Valparaiso (7-6) closed the deficit before halftime and took a 34-32 lead into halftime.
After going back-and-forth early in the second half, the Crusaders took control with an 8-0 run to lead 51-46 with 11:12 left.
Javon Freeman-Liberty led Valparaiso with 21 points, seven rebounds, six assists and four steals. Mileek McMillan added 14 points and nine rebounds and Eron Gordon scored 10.
Joe, a sophomore on the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Watch List, made 5 of 14 from 3-point range for the Razorbacks, finishing the game with 152 3-pointers for his career, one shy of Jonathan Modica (2003-06) for 10th place on the Arkansas career list.
BIG PICTURE
Arkansas: So far this season the Razorbacks have struggled on the offensive glass but thrived on the defensive glass. That pattern continued on Saturday night as they were held to six offensive boards while grabbing 36 defensive rebounds.
Valparaiso: After its Dec. 18 win at High Point, Valparaiso had already secured its 10th consecutive winning record during the nonconference schedule.
UP NEXT
Arkansas visits Indiana on Dec. 29.
Valparaiso hosts Loyola Chicago in a Missouri Valley Conference opener on Dec. 30.
EARLIER
Arkansas 72, Valparaiso 68 - FINAL
The Razorbacks survive a major scare in North Little Rock.
Thanks to the late-game heroics of Mason Jones and Adrio Bailey, Arkansas improves to 10-1 on the season and will now prep for a huge road game at Indiana next Sunday.
Mason Jones hit two 3s in the game, one to pull Arkansas within a score in the closing minutes and one to give the Razorbacks the lead for good. Adrio Bailey turned in a solid game as well, knocking down two 3s and blocking a pair of key shots.
We will have more from tonight's game a little bit later on WholeHogSports.com.
Arkansas 70, Valparaiso 68 - 26 seconds left
Adrio Bailey just made one of the best blocks I will ever see in my life. He turned away Javon Freeman-Liberty 11 feet up and secured possession all at once. Isaiah Joe then hit two free throws to push the Arkansas lead to five.
Valpo, though, answered with a 3 of its own. Back to a two-point game.
Arkansas 68, Valparaiso 65 - 49.2 seconds left
Valpo, again, turns the ball over in the half court. Mason Jones comes down and buries a potential dagger from the top of the key. What a game.
Arkansas 65, Valparaiso 65 - 1:21 left
The Crusaders got sloppy with the basketball on consecutive possessions, and Mason Jones made them pay the second time. He buries a 3 from the right wing and this game is tied with under two to play.
It was Jones' first 3 of the night after three misses.
Valparaiso 65, Arkansas 62 - 2:48 left
Javon Freeman-Liberty answers again after Arkansas pulls within one, again. Adrio Bailey split a pair of free throws, and Freeman-Liberty, with the shot clock winding down, made a move on Jimmy Whitt and kissed a runner off the glass. Valpo calls for time to get its defense set.
Valparaiso 63, Arkansas 58 - 3:50 left
The Razorbacks pulled within one point following a pair of Reggie Chaney free throws, but the Crusaders immediately answered with a backdoor layup designed for Javon Freeman-Liberty. Valpo then added two free throws at the line on its next possession.
Jalen Harris missed a wide-open 3 in the left corner in front of the Arkansas bench that would have tied the game at 61. Isaiah Joe will be at the line with three free throws when play resumes.
Valparaiso 59, Arkansas 54 - 7:01 left
Out of the timeout Eric Musselman called to stop the bleeding, Isaiah Joe buried his fourth 3 of the night from the left wing to pull the Razorbacks within five.
On the Crusaders' ensuing possession, a guard bobbled the ball on the right wing and out of bounds for a turnover. The crowd is back into it. Should be a fun finish.
Joe has a team-high 13 points tonight, and Mason Jones has 12. Adrio Bailey has nine points and Jimmy Whitt still has eight. He hasn't scored since the 6:05 mark in the first half.
Valparaiso 59, Arkansas 51 - 7:23 left
The Crusaders are on a 9-1 run over the last two minutes and have taken their largest lead of the game with under eight minutes to go.
Javon Freeman-Liberty has six of those points in the spurt on a pair of 3s. Valpo's leading scorer has a game-high 18 points on 5 of 16 shooting, but he is 4 of 8 from deep tonight.
Arkansas has not made a shot in nearly three minutes. Razorbacks need a bucket or two quickly or this could get away from them.
Arkansas 46, Valparaiso 46 - 11:44 left
Not much went on between the media timeouts other than more sloppy basketball.
Mason Jones picked up his fourth foul with around 15 minutes to go, then he came back in after Jeantal Cylla allowed a layup inside and drove to the rim in transition and hit the deck hard. He appears to be OK.
Jalen Harris added a tip-in following an Isaiah Joe miss from 3, then Joe knocked down a free throw after a Valpo guard was hit with a flopping technical.
Arkansas 43, Valparaiso 43 - 15:43 left
Mason Jones and Isaiah Joe have accounted for all 11 of the Razorbacks' points through the opening four-plus minutes of the second half. Joe has buried a pair of 3s, including his second from the right corner all season, and one from the top of the key.
Jones finished through contact near the rim in transition and got the free throw to go, too. He went 2 of 2 on another trip to the line as well. Jones, who leads with team with six rebounds, has a team-high 11 points and Joe has nine.
Valparaiso 34, Arkansas 32 - Halftime
The Razorbacks trail at halftime for just the second time this season (Western Kentucky). Valpo closed the first half strong after falling behind 18-5 in the early going. The Crusaders made their push, too, with star guard Javon Freeman-Liberty shooting 2 of 10 from the floor.
The end of the half got a really hectic. Valpo guard Zion Morgan, who was a plus-14 in the first half, wasn't shy about talking to any Arkansas player, whether on the floor or the bench. He got into a trash talking contest with Mason Jones, Reggie Chaney and Jamario Bell, who were all sitting at the time.
Adrio Bailey, immediately after things settled down for a moment, went crashing into the scorer's table. Eric Musselman was then hit with his second technical foul of the season and Simmons Bank Arena went ballistic. Pat Ackerman, the 7-footer on Musselman's support staff, had to go to the end of the bench and calm players down.
Adrio Bailey and Jimmy Whitt each have eight points to lead Arkansas. Mason Jones also has six, but he didn't see the floor over the final seven-plus minutes of the first half. He has a team-high three turnovers as well.
Freeman-Liberty does have a game-high nine points at the break and six came in the final two minutes of the half. He hit a 3 with less than two minutes until halftime to give Valpo its first true lead of the game, then he added a dunk to cap the scoring.
Arkansas 29, Valparaiso 26 - 3:15 left first half
Adrio Bailey has hit a pair of 3s to this point, and that is the difference in the game at the under-4 media timeout. It is the first time in his Razorbacks career he has made two 3s in one game. Bailey has eight points, tied with Jimmy Whitt for the team lead.
Mason Jones also has six points for Arkansas, but he has not played since the under-8 timeout. Desi Sills has pitched in three points and five rebounds.
Sixteen of the Crusaders' 26 points have come in the paint. They are getting almost anything they want in there, whether it be on postups or second-chance points.
Arkansas 19, Valparaiso 16 - 7:26 left first half
Arkansas got sloppy and pretty stagnant offensively, and Valpo also found some creases in the Razorbacks' defense and took advantage.
The Crusaders are on an 11-1 run over the last four and a half minutes and are firmly back in this game. Eric Musselman has not been pleased with movement on the offensive end and a lack of finish defensively. Arkansas has turned the ball over four times in the last five-plus minutes.
Mason Jones was also whistled for a really questionable player-control foul to send us to the under-8 media timeout. Musselman went out to near halfcourt and let an official have it.
Arkansas 18, Valparaiso 5 - 11:56 left first half
Jimmy Whitt knocked down a very nice midrange jumper shortly after the first stoppage in play, giving him four points on the night. He's 2 of 2 on 8-12 footers tonight.
Mason Jones then scored the next four points by getting to the rim in transition and at the line. He already has six points, four rebounds and a pair of assists.
Defensively, Arkansas is getting after it, and the Crusaders are missing some solid looks. Valpo is 2 of 12 from the floor and 0 of 5 from deep. Javon Freeman-Liberty has one point and has missed all four of his attempts.
Arkansas 12, Valparaiso 3 - 16:25 left first half
The Razorbacks came out of the gates hot. Isaiah Joe and Adrio Bailey - banked in - each have one 3 to their credit while Mason Jones and Jimmy Whitt also have scores.
Desi Sills dove on the floor for a loose ball near halfcourt, passed to a teammate, then Jones shot faked on a 3-point attempt from the left wing, dribbled right and found Bailey for a huge two-hand slam. Valpo called for time.
Simmons Bank Arena is hot in the early going.
Pregame
Arkansas' starting lineup: Isaiah Joe, Mason Jones, Desi Sills, Jimmy Whitt and Adrio Bailey.
Jones, coming off a 41-point game last Saturday against Tulsa, has a chance to build on that performance tonight. He scored just six points and fouled out in North Little Rock last season against Texas-San Antonio.
Joe is playing well in December, too. He is averaging 18 points per game and shooting 35 percent from 3-point range. Against UTSA last year, he finished with a game-high 21 points and knocked down 5 of 6 from deep. Jalen Harris also recorded an 11-point, 10-assist double-double with zero turnovers.
Valparaiso's starters: Daniel Sackey (5-9), John Kiser (6-5), Donovan Clay (6-7), Javon Freeman-Liberty (6-3) and Mileek Freeman (6-8).
Freeman-Liberty is the player to keep an eye on for the Crusaders. He is, statistically, the most ball-dominant player Arkansas will have faced this season. According to KenPom analytics, he has taken 36.6 percent of Valpo's shots when he is in the lineup. That figure ranks 12th nationally. Freeman-Liberty is averaging 21.8 points per game and shooting 47.1 percent from the floor and 35 percent beyond the arc.
Running updates by Scottie Bordelon of WholeHogSports.com