Arkansas Rebounds From Loss to Defeat Georgetown, 97-79

It did not take long for defending champion Arkansas to bounce back from an embarrassing opening-game loss, as the Razorbacks routed Georgetown, 97-79, Sunday in the first game of the inaugural Martin Luther King Classic doubleheader.

Before a crowd of 18,245 at The Pyramid, Corliss Williamson scored 22 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, and Scotty Thurman and Clint McDaniel added 16 points each to lead Arkansas, which lost to Massachusetts, 104-80, Friday night.

“I knew that we were in trouble as soon as I saw the score of their first game,” Georgetown Coach John Thompson said. “I was hoping that they would beat the heck out of UMass and then we would be able to sneak up on them.”

Arkansas (1-1) shot 50% from floor, including 43% from behind the three-point line in the first half. Reggie Garrett came off the bench to add 15 points for the Razorbacks, who forced Georgetown into 28 turnovers.

“In the first game, we were not ready to step up and play,” Thurman said. “Today, we had a lot of players come in and play with a lot of heart.”

Georgetown (0-1) was led by freshman guard Allen Iverson, who made only five of 18 shots but finished with 19 points. George Butler had 17 and Eric Myles 11.