Arkansas Razorbacks vs North Carolina Tar Heels Box Score on Nov 24, 2023

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 Tramon 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 was later released from the hospital, and the school announced that an MRI found no major damage to his back.

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