RJ Davis scored 21 of his career-high-tying 30 points in the second half to lead No. 14 North Carolina to an 87-72 win over No. 20 Arkansas in the Battle 4 Atlantis third-place game Friday afternoon at Paradise Island, Bahamas.
Harrison Ingram contributed 13 points, 10 rebounds and six assists for the Tar Heels (5-1), who squandered a 12-point first-half lead only to build another one after the break. Seth Trimble added 12 points for the Tar Heels.
Houston transfer Travon Mark poured in a career-high 34 points for the Razorbacks (4-3) before being wheeled off the floor on a stretcher with 1:12 to play. Mark was driving to the basket and landed hard on his back after passing the ball to the corner.
Mark made 13 of 17 shots from the field, which included 4 of 6 from 3-point range. The rest of the Razorbacks combined to make 1 of 11 attempts from beyond the arc.
North Carolina used a 9-0 run to build a 23-11 lead in the opening 10 minutes — at which point Mark decided to take matters into his own hands. With a mix of 3-pointers, coast-to-coast layups and pullup jumpers, Mark canned his first eight shots to pull Arkansas into a 31-31 knot with 2:38 left in the half — the game’s first tie since the opening minute.
North Carolina tried to get through the final five minutes with its top two players — Davis and Armando Bacot — on the bench with two fouls. But when Cayden Blocker swiped a pass and flew in for a two-handed breakaway dunk in the final seconds, Arkansas finished the half on a 15-4 spree to take a 38-35 lead into the break.
During the second half, Davis and Mark took turns pouring in points. During one 48-second stretch, Mark hit a runner to tie it at 46-46, but Bacot answered with a jump hook. Then Mark rolled home a pullup jumper from the free-throw to re-tie it only for Davis to sprint down the court and deliver a circus layup six seconds later for a 3-point play.
Davis’ highlight-reel maneuver triggered an 11-2 North Carolina run. When Davis flew in for a transition layup with 11:21 to go, he gave the Tar Heels a 59-50 lead and forced an Arkansas timeout. The Razorbacks never got closer than six points the rest of the way.
–Field Level Media