LOUISVILLE — Julysses Nobles scored a career-high 19 points to lead Arkansas to a 71-62 victory over Seton Hall on Wednesday night in the SEC-Big East Invitational at Freedom Hall.
Marshawn Powell added 12 points and 10 rebounds while Rotnei Clarke and Mardracus Wade scored 11 points each for the Razorbacks (6-1), who put the Pirates away with a 11-0 run late in the game.
Jordan Theodore led Seton Hall (3-4) with 24 points but the Pirates ran out of gas after erasing a 17-point lead.
Theodore hit a pair of free throws with 7:05 to go to give Seton Hall a 51-50 lead before Arkansas took off. Powell got it going with a couple of free throws and a spinning layup and Nobles capped the burst with a three-pointer to put Arkansas up 61-51 with 2:19 to play.
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Seton Hall played without leading scorer Jeremy Hazell, who is out until January after breaking his left wrist against Alabama on Nov. 19.
The game was a homecoming of sorts for Arkansas Coach John Pelphrey and Seton Hall Coach Kevin Willard.
Pelphrey is from Paintsville and played at Kentucky under former coach Rick Pitino while Willard served as an assistant coach for Pitino at Louisville.
There was little doubt about which side the pro-Kentucky crowd was on. The fans, many of whom stuck around to watch the nightcap between No. 23 Notre Dame and No. 17 Kentucky, chanted Pelphrey's name as the final seconds ticked off.
The game was the first at Freedom Hall since Louisville finished its stay at the arena with a win over No. 1 Syracuse last spring.
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