SEC MEN’S BASKETBALL ARKANSAS 90, NO. 19 LSU 89

Jones calls shot in Razorbacks victory

As LSU guard Marlon Taylor (14) and LSU forward Naz Reid (0) watch, Arkansas guard Mason Jones (13) puts the ball up for the go-ahead basket with seconds remaining in an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019, in Baton Rouge, La. Arkansas won 90-89. (AP Photo/Bill Feig)

BATON ROUGE -- Mason Jones told his teammates in the final huddle with 36 seconds left that he'd take the last shot to send his Arkansas Razorbacks to the house.

Jones did just that, driving past LSU's Tremont Waters and hitting a 6-foot teardrop past Naz Reid to give the University of Arkansas a 90-89 victory over No. 19 LSU on Saturday.

The Razorbacks (13-8, 4-4 SEC) snapped a 10-game winning streak for the Tigers (17-4, 7-1), who made the game into a helter-skelter affair after falling behind by 18 points in the second half before a sellout crowd of 13,311 at the Maravich Assembly Center.

Jones ran the length of the court near the Arkansas bench and screamed into the crowd after LSU missed three tries at a go-ahead shot in the final 12 seconds.

Jones said Coach Mike Anderson told him to go make a play.

"I knew I wanted the ball at the end," Jones said. "I knew I wanted to take us home, so I did what I had to do.

"I knew [Waters] was going to try to pressure me, so I hit him with a head nod and he took it, then he came and I got an easy layup, took the body contact."

Anderson's options were limited in the final seconds after the teams swapped one-point leads five times in the final four minutes. Sophomore Daniel Gafford, who scored a game-high 23 points, point guard Jalen Harris and reserve Gabe Osabuohien already had fouled out for the Razorbacks.

Anderson called on Jones.

"I wanted the ball in his hands," Anderson said. "I told them I wanted the ball in his hands because we had the other freshmen in there."

Said Gafford: "He called it in the timeout right before he came out and did it. He was like, 'Put the ball in my hands. Give me the ball. I'll take it.' After he made the play he said, 'Let's go home,' so I'll give it to him for that."

The Razorbacks avenged an earlier loss to LSU at Walton Arena with a sizzling 58.3 percent shooting, including a season-best 54.2 percent from three-point range.

The game was far from over after Jones' shot in the paint.

The Tigers got three shots as the clock ticked down. Naz Reid drove hard with a spin move in the lane against freshman Reggie Chaney, but he missed from near point-blank range with his left hand. Arkansas guard Isaiah Joe tracked down the rebound but saved it as he fell out of bounds to LSU's Ja'vonte Smart, who drove the right wing and missed from about 15 feet. The rebound caromed long, and Reid corralled it with his back to the basket on the left wing for the Tigers' 19th offensive rebound.

Reid made the mistake of not getting set before shooting an off-balance heave that nicked the front of the rim and hit the court as the buzzer sounded.

LSU was looking for its first 11-game winning streak since the 1985-86 Tigers won their first 14 games en route to a berth in the Final Four.

"We've been cruising for a while," LSU Coach Will Wade said. "When you walk a tight rope -- and we've been walking a tight rope for about two weeks -- you're eventually going to fall off. We just fell off today."

Gafford backed up his 32-point game against LSU in a 94-88 loss in overtime on Jan. 12 with 23 points on 11-of-15 shooting, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks.

Joe rebounded from an illness that slowed him for a week to make 4 of 8 three-pointers en route to 18 points. Keyshawn Embery-Simpson came off the Arkansas bench to hit 6 of 9 shots, including 4 of 6 from behind the arc, to score 16 points.

Harris added 11 points and 5 assists, and Jones scored 10 points for the Razorbacks.

Five LSU players scored in double figures, led by 19 from Reid, 18 from Smart off the bench and 17 from Skylar Mays. Waters, who lit up Texas A&M for 36 points on Wednesday, was limited to 12 points on 3-of-12 shooting.

Waters also made a poor decision in the closing moments by throwing a lob pass too far for Marlon Taylor early in the shot clock with the Tigers holding an 89-88 lead. The ball ticked off Taylor's hands and went out bounds with 36 seconds left, setting up Jones' game winner.

The game featured several statistical oddities, such as LSU's 44-20 rebounding advantage. The Tigers had one fewer offensive rebound than Arkansas had total. The Tigers also hit 32 of 38 free throws (84.2 percent) while Arkansas went 7 of 11 (63.6 percent) at the line.

But the Razorbacks offset LSU's advantage at the free-throw line with its 13 of 24 three-point performance.

Joe and Embery-Simpson led the way, but Jones also went 2 of 5 from downtown. Adrio Bailey, Harris and Osabuohien also hit one apiece.

"I felt like I knocked it down when I needed to," Joe said. "We had a lot of people knocking down shots. I think everybody did their part."

Anderson said the sizzling three-point shooting was big because it allowed Gafford more room to operate inside.

"Everybody was hitting them," Gafford said.

Arkansas built a 66-48 lead on a Reggie Chaney dunk with 13:46 remaining, but that's when the Tigers began clawing back with full-court pressure.

The Razorbacks improved to 30-11 in February games in the past six seasons.

ARKANSAS (13-8, 4-4 SEC)

DATE OPPONENT TIME/RESULT

Nov. 9 Texas# L, 73-71 (OT)

Nov. 12 UC Davis^ W, 81-58

Nov. 18 Indiana^ W, 73-72

Nov. 21 Montana State^ W, 90-68

Nov. 23 Texas-Arlington^ W, 78-60

Dec. 1 Fla. International W, 121-89

Dec. 5 at Colorado State W, 98-74

Dec. 8 W. Kentucky L, 78-77

Dec. 15 Texas-San Antonio+ W, 79-67

Dec. 19 Georgia Tech L, 69-65

Dec. 22 Texas State W, 73-70

Dec. 28 Austin Peay W, 76-65

Jan. 5 at Texas A&M* W, 73-71

Jan. 9 Florida* L, 57-51

Jan. 12 LSU* L, 94-88 (OT)

Jan. 15 at Tennessee L, 106-87

Jan. 19 at Mississippi* L, 84-67

Jan. 23 Missouri* W, 72-60

Jan. 26 at Texas Tech L, 67-64

Jan. 29 Georgia* W, 70-60

Feb. 2 at LSU* W, 90-89

Feb. 5 Vanderbilt* 8 p.m.

Feb. 9 at South Carolina* 2:30 p.m.

Feb. 12 at Missouri* 8 p.m.

Feb. 16 Mississippi State* 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 20 at Auburn* 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 23 Texas A&M* 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 26 at Kentucky* 8 p.m.

Mar. 2 Mississippi* noon

Mar. 6 at Vanderbilt* 7:30 p.m.

Mar. 9 Alabama* 5 p.m.

Mar. 13-17 at SEC Tourn., Nashville, Tenn.

*SEC game

#at Armed Forces Classic, El Paso, Texas

^Hardwood Showcase game

+at Verizon Arena, North Little Rock

Sports on 02/03/2019