FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – John Calipari won his debut as Arkansas coach when the 16th-ranked Razorbacks held off a second-half rally by Lipscomb and pulled away for a 76-60 victory Wednesday night.
Freshman guard Boogie Fland scored 17 points and Florida Atlantic transfer Johnell Davis added 15 for Arkansas.
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Calipari, who left Southeastern Conference rival Kentucky after last season, had previously been booed incessantly whenever stepping foot in Bud Walton Arena.
That all changed when Eric Musselman, who coached Arkansas to three Sweet 16s in five seasons, departed last spring and Calipari bolted from the bluegrass of Kentucky for the foothills of the Ozarks.
His new team looked a lot like his old ones.
Lipscomb (1-1), the Atlantic Sun preseason favorite, put a scare into the Razorbacks (1-0) with a second-half run to pull within four points with just under seven minutes to play. Arkansas had led by 15 in the second half.
Zvonimir Ivisic, one of seven players to make their Razorbacks debut Wednesday, hit a 3-pointer, a layup and two free throws in the span of a minute to stop the Bisons.
Ivisic finished with 12 points. Jacob Ognacevic led Lipscomb with 16.
Takeaways
Lipscomb: The Bisons put up enough of a fight to suggest their projection as A-Sun champions is not farfetched.
Arkansas: The Razorbacks might be as deep as any team in the country and the statistical totals backed that up. Calipari & Co. will need time to coalesce, but the team looks to be as dangerous as expected.
Key moment
Arkansas closed the first half on a 10-2 run to build a 39-28 lead at halftime.
Key stats
Arkansas outscored the Bisons 23-5 on fast-break points and 54-24 in the paint. The Razorbacks shot 68% inside the 3-point line, offsetting a 4-of-19 performance from beyond the arc.
Up next
Lipscomb hosts Wofford on Saturday.
Arkansas gets its first power-conference challenge of the season Saturday when the Razorbacks travel to Dallas for a neutral-site game against No. 8 Baylor, which is coming off a 101-63 loss at No. 6 Gonzaga.
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