Turnovers keep Hogs from scaling heights vs. Tigers on Plains

BOB HOLT
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

AUBURN, Ala. -- Arkansas had another breakdown on the road Wednesday night.
The Razorbacks put themselves in position to beat Auburn, pulling within two points and having the ball in the final minute, but they couldn't finish the job as the Tigers pulled away to win 71-63 at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum.
"Both teams were one play away from winning," Arkansas junior guard Jannero Pargo said. "If we had made a play, their heads probably would have gotten down, and we'd have the momentum on our side.
"Instead they made the play, and then our heads went down, and it basically was over from there."
The game's key play came with a minute left and Arkansas in possession, trailing 65-63 after an Auburn turnover.
Sophomore guard Charles Tatum, who led the Razorbacks with 10 points off the bench, tried to get the ball to Joe Johnson in the post, but Auburn's Lincoln Glass stole the pass and was fouled by Tatum.
Glass hit both free throws to give the Tigers a 67-63 lead with 59.8 seconds left and start what became a 7-0 run by Auburn to close out the game.
"No matter what anybody wants to say, that turnover at that point in the game was all my fault," said Tatum, who made a steal, was fouled and hit two free throws to pull the Razorbacks within 65-63. "Forget all the other turnovers in the game, that one at that moment was probably the reason we lost the game.
"When you're down two and you have the ball with a minute left to play, that's not supposed to happen."
Arkansas Coach Nolan Richardson said it was unfortunate Tatum made the key turnover after playing perhaps the best game of his career.
"He happened to be the guy with the last turnover that hurt us," Richardson said. "But you've got to be happy that he went in and showed up to play as hard as he could."
Richardson said the Razorbacks' biggest problem wasn't their 37.1 percent shooting, but their 18 turnovers, including 13 in the second half.
"We looked like one of the slop, slop jobs of all time handling the basketball," Richardson said.
Among the turnovers were senior guard Brandon Davis dribbling the ball off his foot and passes from several players that flew out of bounds when they weren't being pressured defensively.
"We're running over each other, falling out of bounds," Richardson said. "I've never seen so many unforced turnovers. Absolutely unforced.
"It's chaotic and it's disappointing to me. I'm very disappointed in this team, and I'm disappointed in myself to have a team that handles the ball so miserably.
"It's not only tonight. It's been all season, really."
The Hogs did not shoot well, either. Pargo and Johnson, the Razorbacks' top two scorers, combined to hit 8 of 32 field-goal attempts.
"What can I say? I mean the shots just didn't fall," said Pargo, who had been averaging 16.7 points in SEC games but shot 4 of 14 Wednesday night and finished with eight points. "Joe and I are taking the most shots, and we've got to shoot better if we're going to have a chance to win."
Johnson was 3 of 17 from the field and had nine points along with a team-high 10 rebounds.
"I thought I'd have a good night with the way I was making my shots in warmups," Johnson said. "But when I got in the game, I just couldn't get nothing to fall."
Auburn (15-9, 5-6) pulled into a third-place tie with Arkansas (14-9, 5-6) in the SEC West and hung on to win despite shooting 33.8 percent from the field.
The Tigers, who got 18 points from senior guard Scott Pohlman and 16 points and 10 rebounds from sophomore forward Marquis Daniels, outshot Arkansas on three-pointers, 6 of 24 to 3 of 2, and on free throws, hitting 19 of 29 compared to 14 of 19 by the Razorbacks.
Auburn also had just 13 turnovers and did a good job of handling Arkansas' pressure until the final minutes, when the Tigers looked like they were about to unravel.
"I wouldn't call it ugly, but it did get a little crazy there for a while," Auburn Coach Cliff Ellis said. "Arkansas is Arkansas, and when you play them, you are going to have to play the full 40 minutes."
Auburn led by as many as 13 points early in the second half. The Razorbacks -- with sophomore center Larry Satchell finishing with 8 points, 6 rebounds and 5 blocked shots, sophomore forward Carl Baker having 8 points and 9 rebounds and junior guard T.J. Cleveland having 8 points and 4 steals -- gradually cut into the lead, but never could make it all the way back as Arkansas fell to 1-7 in road games.
"I thought they got rattled toward the end, but we didn't take advantage of it," Richardson said. "That's the way it's been on the road most of the games.
"We're right there, but ..."
But the Razorbacks can't finish teams off. Until they learn how, their road woes will continue.

This article was published on Thursday, February 15, 2001

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