Young leads Arkansas past Northwestern State 79-61

Young leads Arkansas past Northwestern State 79-61

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) - BJ Young had 26 points and a career-high 13 rebounds to lead Arkansas to a 79-61 win over Northwestern State on Saturday.

Young added seven assists as the Razorbacks (8-4) won their fourth consecutive game.

Arkansas closed the game on a 20-8 run after Northwestern State pulled within 59-53 with just more than 8 minutes remaining. The Razorbacks held the Demons, the nation's second-highest-scoring team, 25 points below their season average.

Northwestern State used a 15-4 run to pull within 47-44 but got no closer, as Kikko Haydar's 3-pointer in transition gave the Razorbacks a 50-44 lead with 13:38 remaining.

The Demons shot 29 more free throws than Arkansas but converted only 26 of their 42 attempts from the line. The Razorbacks' pressure defense forced Northwestern State into a tough shooting night, as the Demons hit only 27 percent of their field-goal attempts and just one of their 14 shots from beyond the arc.

Despite its four post players combining for 15 personal fouls, Arkansas outscored Northwestern State 48-28 in the paint and outrebounded the Demons by 16.

Mardracus Wade scored 14 of his 17 points in the first half as Arkansas took a 36-29 advantage into halftime. Hunter Mickelson added eight points and a career-high 13 rebounds for the Razorbacks.

James Hulbin led the Demons (5-4) with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)