Darius Acuff's 49 points not enough in double OT thriller at Alabama

Freshman guard Darius Acuff Jr. delivered one of the most electrifying performances of the college basketball season, pouring in 49 points, but it wasn’t enough as No. 20 Arkansas fell to No. 25 Alabama 117-115 in double overtime Wednesday night.

Houston Mallette drilled a 3-pointer with 51 seconds left in the second extra period to lift the Crimson Tide (19-7, 9-4 SEC) to their fifth straight win in a game that quickly turned into an instant classic.

Acuff played all 50 minutes and scored the second-most points in Division I this season, finishing just shy of the school record. His 49 points marked the most by a Razorback in SEC play and the second-most in program history. But the freshman standout missed potential go-ahead jumpers at the end of both overtime periods as Arkansas (19-7, 9-4 SEC) came up short.

The Razorbacks used a seven-man rotation in regulation before foul trouble derailed them in overtime. Four players fouled out, forcing coach John Calipari to lean on two reserves who had played a combined 35 minutes all season.

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Alabama erased a 14-point second-half deficit with an 18-4 run and briefly took the lead late in regulation before Acuff buried a 3-pointer to tie it at 95 and force overtime.

Labaron Philon Jr. scored 35 points and Aiden Sherrell added 26 and 13 rebounds for Alabama. Meleek Thomas scored 24 and Billy Richmond III added 20 for Arkansas before fouling out.

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