Arkansas survived a tense thriller against Winthrop, edging the Eagles 84-83 in the final seconds of a nail-biting contest. The Razorbacks secured the lead with just 11 seconds remaining when Nick Pringle scored at the rim off a Winthrop turnover. The moment quickly escalated into chaos as Pringle and Winthrop’s Logan Duncomb became tangled in a scuffle. Officials intervened, but Pringle ended up throwing Duncomb to the floor, prompting a brief review. Both players received offsetting technical fouls, while four others, two from each team, were ejected for leaving the bench area. Duncomb’s technical also resulted in him fouling out.
Arkansas got balanced production across the board. Meleek Thomas led the way with 26 points on 10-of-20 shooting, including three triples, and added two steals while contesting Winthrop’s potential game-winning shot. Trevon Brazile contributed 14 points and eight rebounds, Nick Pringle added 13 points and seven boards, and Darius Acuff Jr. had 12 points and five assists, despite shooting just 30% from the field.
While the Razorbacks pulled out the win, the game revealed areas for improvement. Winthrop shot an impressive 48% from beyond the arc, keeping the contest close throughout. Arkansas capitalized at the free-throw line, adding 20 points, while Winthrop managed just four of six attempts. They also narrowly won the rebounding numbers 33-30, which is an area they still need more production in.
Despite the late-game drama and some sloppy stretches, Arkansas moves to 4-1 on the season. Up next is Jackson State, giving the Razorbacks a chance to refine their game before facing tougher opponents down the schedule. They have a very big matchup coming up soon against Duke looming and they'll have to clean up a lot of things if they want to come out victorious.