Jordan Smith recorded a triple-double to lead the Arkansas men’s basketball team to a dominant 98-58 victory over Carleton University on Saturday at the Baha Mar Convention Center in the Bahamas. Smith tallied 20 points, 11 assists, and 11 rebounds, marking the first Razorback to achieve the feat since Courtney Fortson in 2010. Smith's triple-double, however, won’t be reflected in the Razorbacks’ official record book as it came during an exhibition game.
Arkansas guard Jeremiah Wilkinson, a transfer from Georgia, led all scorers with 26 points. JJ Andrews contributed 17 points, while Abdou Toure added 15 points to round out a balanced Razorbacks attack.
Carleton University, a powerhouse in Canadian college basketball and the country’s reigning national champion, pushed Arkansas early in the game. The Ravens displayed solid team chemistry with effective passing and early success from beyond the arc, keeping the score close at 24-19 at the under-eight-minute media timeout in the first half.
Arkansas responded with a 10-2 run to widen the gap at 34-21 and continued the momentum with a 21-5 stretch, building a commanding 45-26 lead with under four minutes remaining in the half. The Razorbacks’ defense tightened during the closing minutes of the half, holding Carleton without a field goal for the final 4:27 and limiting them to 1-of-10 shooting in that span. Smith capped the half with a three-pointer at the buzzer to extend Arkansas’ advantage to 52-27 at halftime.
Defensively, Arkansas forced 15 turnovers and recorded six blocks in the game. Saturday’s win followed the Razorbacks’ strong defensive effort in their previous exhibition, where they forced 26 turnovers against the Bahamas national team.
The Razorbacks will return to action on Monday at 6 p.m., facing Toros del Valle, the reigning Baloncesto Apertura champions from Colombia.