No. 19 Arkansas Razorbacks men’s basketball guard Billy Richmond III scored 21 points — 15 in the first half — and paced four Razorbacks in double figures in a 79–66 win over the Central Arkansas Bears on Friday night in Fayetteville.
Arkansas opened the game with a 15–2 run over 5 minutes, 12 seconds. Richmond scored seven of those points and helped build a double-digit lead before halftime.
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Forward Miikka Muurinen added 11 points, two blocks and three steals. Guard Jeremiah Wilkinson contributed 14 points. Guard Jordan Smith Jr. scored 12 on 5-of-6 shooting and recorded three steals — a rebound after scoring three points on 1-of-8 shooting against Robert Morris on Wednesday.
Central Arkansas cut the deficit to six points on a Harrison Beauchamp jumper with 4 minutes, 22 seconds left. Wilkinson responded with a three-pointer that extended Arkansas’ lead and quieted the Bears’ rally.
Beauchamp led Central Arkansas with 14 points. Forward Luke Moore added 12. Arkansas’ bench totaled 12 points — below its season average of 28.6 per game.
Arkansas improved to 3–1. Central Arkansas fell to 2–2. The Razorbacks play Indiana in New York City on Tuesday. Central Arkansas visits Oklahoma State on Monday.
More: NCAAM · Arkansas Razorbacks
