After two games on the road, Arkansas is heading back home. They and the Georgia Bulldogs will face off in an SEC battle at 6:00 p.m. ET on Saturday at Bud Walton Arena. Given that the pair suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this match.
The matchup between Arkansas and the Tigers on Saturday hardly resembled the 60-40 effort from their previous meeting. The Razorbacks suffered a bruising 95-74 loss at the hands of the Tigers. Arkansas found out winning isn’t easy when you make nine fewer threes than your opponent.
Advertisement
Despite their loss, Arkansas saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Tramon Mark, who scored 20 points along with six rebounds and two steals, was perhaps the best of all. The team also got some help courtesy of Jalen Graham, who scored 18 points along with two steals.
Meanwhile, Georgia’s recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Wednesday after their fourth straight defeat. They fell 75-62 to the Bulldogs.
Georgia’s loss came about despite a quality game from Noah Thomasson, who went 6 for 11 from beyond the arc en route to 20 points and 0 assists.
The Razorbacks have been struggling recently as they’ve lost four of their last five games, which put a noticeable dent in their 11-11 record this season. As for the Bulldogs, they dropped their record down to 14-9 with that defeat, which was their third straight on the road.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as both teams are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Arkansas hasn’t had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 75.9 points per game. However, it’s not like Georgia struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 75.9 points per game. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.
Advertisement
Arkansas came up short against the Bulldogs in their previous matchup back in January, falling 76-66. Will Arkansas have more luck at home instead of on the road?
Series History
Arkansas has won 6 out of their last 9 games against Georgia.
Ella McCarthy covers state politics and the state Supreme Court. Before joining the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, she covered Austin City Hall for the Austin American-Statesman, and before that, held a fellowship with ABC News in Washington, D.C., where she covered national politics. A graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism, her work has been recognized by the Hearst Foundation, the Missouri Press Association and LION Publishers in the LION local journalism awards. She contributed to the Statesman’s coverage of a two-city shooting rampage that won a national Edward R. Murrow Award for breaking news coverage.
KATV ABC 7 in Little Rock, Arkansas covers news, sports, weather and the local community in the city and the surrounding area, including Hot Springs, Conway, Pine Bluff, Jacksonville, Sherwood, Stuttgart, Benton, Bauxite, East End, Scott, Pinnacle, Maumelle, Gibson, Landmark and Hensley.
The Little Rock Marathon welcomes runners of all experience levels to run its course each year.
That was best exemplified when its winners crossed the finish line.
The marathon featured 1,427 entrants, ages 16 to 80, with race veterans and first-timers of all ages competing Sunday morning.
Advertisement
This was the 10th marathon for Benjamin Williams, a 42-year-old Baltimore resident originally from Australia. He hadn’t won prior Sunday but finished second in a marathon in Memphis in 2025 and was determined to finally get over the hump in Little Rock.
“It’s amazing,” Williams said. “I mean, it’s such a beautiful course, and it’s my first time in Arkansas. I love the city, and I’m just so excited to do it.
“I was desperate to win this one. I went to the front in the first mile, and then I ran on my own basically the whole way.”
Williams held an advantage of nearly a minute on the next-closet runner through the first 7 1/2 miles. By the time he hit the half marathon point, 13.1 miles, his lead was just shy of four minutes thanks to a 5:41 pace.
Williams won the marathon with a chip time of 2:32:07. Tyreek Gilkey, 22, of Fort Smith came second with a 2:39:02 chip time. Alec Hewett, 33, of Colorado Springs, Colo., finished third with a chip time of 2:39:50.
Advertisement
“Little Rock is beautiful,” Williams said. “You know, I was focused on the race, but I’ve been able to see it the last few days, just walking around this beautiful city. The course is actually really hard. There’s a hill as you go up to Hillcrest, that neighborhood. That was a long, brutal hill. And then they get you with a little one just here at the end as well. So, yeah, it was a good course, but tough.”
Williams made sure to mention just how far he’s come in his marathon running career after winning his first.
“This is my 10th,” Williams said. “So hopefully it’s by some other people. My first one took me four hours, and I’ve just slowly brought it down.”
Williams also won the 5K on Saturday with a chip time of 16:22.7.
Advertisement
As for the women’s race, it was first-timer Holly Moser, 25, who claimed first place. The Greeley, Colo., native who recently moved to Jacksonville finished seventh overall and first among female runners with a time of 2:53:23. She was second or third at each of the first five checkpoints before her 6:36 pace from Mile 21 to Mile 23 pushed her into first.
Moser, like most runners that compete in the Little Rock Marathon, highlighted the hills in the western portion of the course, particularly in the Hillcrest neighborhood, as a challenge.
“You guys managed to find every single hill that exists in the city somehow,” Moser said with a laugh. “I’m not sure how you did it, but you did. The energy was there, so it’s easy to get up those hills. And it was fun to kind of sightsee Little Rock. I still haven’t been to a lot of the neighborhood areas since we live in Jacksonville, so it was nice to get to see like a new area that I haven’t gotten to see before.”
Like Williams, Moser also ran the 5K the day before running the marathon. She finished seventh overall and third among women in that with a time of 19:49.4.
Leah Thorvilson, 47, of Bella Vista finished second among women with a chip time of 2:54:49. Erin Bellissimo, 41, of Monument, Colo., finished third with a 3:02:05 chip time.
Advertisement
One other finish of note was Aaron McCaleb, who was the first marathon athlete overall to finish with a time of 1:59:48. Competing in the hand cycle division, McCaleb, 22, finished nearly 45 minutes before the nearest cyclist.
Temperatures remained favorable and fan support turnout was strong Sunday, giving competitors like Moser the boost they needed.
“The weather was perfect for the first like two hours, and then that sun came out and it got a little warm, but the support was unmatched,” Moser said. “I mean, every single booth that you passed, the vibes were high. Everyone was cheering. People were screaming your name. It’s easy to run fast when you got that many fans.”
Runners cross the Broadway Bridge as the sun rises over the Arkansas River during the Little Rock Marathon on Sunday, March 1, 2026. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Colin Murphey)
Runners cross the Broadway Bridge into North Little Rock during the Little Rock Marathon on Sunday, March 1, 2026. See more photos at arkansasonline.com/32runners/ (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Colin Murphey)
Runners cross the Broadway Bridge during the Little Rock Marathon on Sunday, March 1, 2026. See more photos at arkansasonline.com/32runners/ (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Colin Murphey)
Runners cross the Broadway Bridge during the Little Rock Marathon on Sunday, March 1, 2026. See more photos at arkansasonline.com/32runners/ (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Colin Murphey)
Runners cross the Broadway Bridge during the Little Rock Marathon on Sunday, March 1, 2026. See more photos at arkansasonline.com/32runners/ (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Colin Murphey)
A group of spectators watch runners cross the Broadway Bridge during the Little Rock Marathon on Sunday, March 1, 2026. See more photos at arkansasonline.com/32runners/ (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Colin Murphey)
A runner heads toward the finish line on the final stretch of the Little Rock Marathon on Sunday, March 1, 2026. See more photos at arkansasonline.com/32runners/ (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Colin Murphey)
Runners cross the Broadway Bridge into North Little Rock during the Little Rock Marathon on Sunday, March 1, 2026. See more photos at arkansasonline.com/32runners/ (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Colin Murphey)
Runners cross the Broadway Bridge into North Little Rock during the Little Rock Marathon on Sunday, March 1, 2026. See more photos at arkansasonline.com/32runners/ (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Colin Murphey)
Holly Moser heads toward the finish line on the final stretch of the Little Rock Marathon on Sunday, March 1, 2026. Moser would go on to win the women’s race. See more photos at arkansasonline.com/32runners/ (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Colin Murphey)
Benjamin Williams heads toward the finish line on the final stretch of the Little Rock Marathon on Sunday, March 1, 2026. Williams would go on to win the men’s race. See more photos at arkansasonline.com/32runners/ (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Colin Murphey)
Benjamin Williams heads toward the finish line on the final stretch of the Little Rock Marathon on Sunday, March 1, 2026. Williams would go on to win the men’s race. See more photos at arkansasonline.com/32runners/ (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Colin Murphey)
Runners cross the Broadway Bridge into North Little Rock during the Little Rock Marathon on Sunday, March 1, 2026. See more photos at arkansasonline.com/32runners/ (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Colin Murphey)
Competitors run past the Arkansas state Capitol during the Little Rock Marathon on Sunday, March 1, 2026. See more photos at arkansasonline.com/32runners/ (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Colin Murphey)
Katie Bowser stops to give her husband Larry Bowser a kiss before turning onto Tenth Street from Main Street during the 2026 Little Rock Marathon Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Little Rock. Katie was running the full marathon. See more photos at https://www.arkansasonline.com/0301Runners/..(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Adam Vogler)
Marion Milwee, 16, (from left) Jennifer Milwee and Shannon Butler Dixon cheer as Virginia Milwee, their sister, daughter and niece respectively turns on to Commerce Street from Ninth Street during the 2026 Little Rock Marathon Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Little Rock. See more photos at https://www.arkansasonline.com/0301Runners/..(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Adam Vogler)
Melinda Asewicz holds up her glass in salute as runners move west on Ninth Street during the 2026 Little Rock Marathon Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Little Rock. See more photos at https://www.arkansasonline.com/0301Runners/..(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Adam Vogler)
A runner moves east along Fourth Street during the 2026 Little Rock Marathon Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Little Rock. See more photos at https://www.arkansasonline.com/0301Runners/..(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Adam Vogler)
A runner gets a drink from Andrea Rothman as he moves east along Fourth Street during the 2026 Little Rock Marathon Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Little Rock. See more photos at https://www.arkansasonline.com/0301Runners/..(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Adam Vogler)
A runner moves east along Fourth Street during the 2026 Little Rock Marathon Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Little Rock. See more photos at https://www.arkansasonline.com/0301Runners/..(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Adam Vogler)
Runners move east along Fourth Street during the 2026 Little Rock Marathon Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Little Rock. See more photos at https://www.arkansasonline.com/0301Runners/..(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Adam Vogler)
Holly Moser, 25, of Jacksonville, crosses the finish line during the 2026 Little Rock Marathon Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Little Rock. Moser won the women’s race with a time of 2:53:23 the finish line https://www.arkansasonline.com/0301Runners/..(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Adam Vogler)
Holly Moser, 25, of Jacksonville, runs to the finish line during the 2026 Little Rock Marathon Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Little Rock. Moser won the women’s race with a time of 2:53:23 the finish line https://www.arkansasonline.com/0301Runners/..(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Adam Vogler)
Benjamin Williams of crosses the finish line during the 2026 Little Rock Marathon Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Little Rock.Williams won the men’s race with a time 2:32:07. https://www.arkansasonline.com/0301Runners/..(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Adam Vogler)
Benjamin Williams of crosses the finish line during the 2026 Little Rock Marathon Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Little Rock.Williams won the men’s race with a time 2:32:07. https://www.arkansasonline.com/0301Runners/..(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Adam Vogler)
Benjamin Williams of Baltimore runs on Ninth Street during the 2026 Little Rock Marathon Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Little Rock. Williams won the men’s race with a time 2:32:07. https://www.arkansasonline.com/0301Runners/..(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Adam Vogler)
Benjamin Williams of Baltimore runs on Fourth Street during the 2026 Little Rock Marathon Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Little Rock.Williams won the men’s race with a time 2:32:07. https://www.arkansasonline.com/0301Runners/..(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Adam Vogler)
Anne Henry Milner stretches out on the floor of the Statehouse Convention Center after completing the half marathon portion of the 2026 Little Rock Marathon Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Little Rock. See more photos at https://www.arkansasonline.com/0301Runners/..(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Adam Vogler)
Runners cross the finish line during the 2026 Little Rock Marathon Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Little Rock. See more photos at https://www.arkansasonline.com/0301Runners/..(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Adam Vogler)
A runner crosses the finish line during the 2026 Little Rock Marathon Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Little Rock. See more photos at https://www.arkansasonline.com/0301Runners/..(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Adam Vogler)
A runner crosses the finish line during the 2026 Little Rock Marathon Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Little Rock. See more photos at https://www.arkansasonline.com/0301Runners/..(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Adam Vogler)
Runners cross the finish line during the 2026 Little Rock Marathon Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Little Rock. See more photos at https://www.arkansasonline.com/0301Runners/..(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Adam Vogler)
Runners take to the course at the start of the 2026 Little Rock Marathon Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Little Rock. See more photos at https://www.arkansasonline.com/0301Runners/..(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Adam Vogler)
Sam (left) and Elliot Driver talk before the start of the 2026 Little Rock Marathon Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Little Rock. Elliot was running in the half marathon. See more photos at https://www.arkansasonline.com/0302Runners/….(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Adam Vogler)..
Maly Tabor (left) and Mary Kate Reid stretch before the start of the 2026 Little Rock Marathon Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Little Rock. Both women were running in the half marathon. See more photos at https://www.arkansasonline.com/0302Runners/….(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Adam Vogler)..
A group of runners walk down Main Street on their way to the Statehouse Convention Center for the start of the 2026 Little Rock Marathon Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Little Rock. See more photos at https://www.arkansasonline.com/0302Runners/….(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Adam Vogler)..
Volunteers gather outside of the Statehouse Convention Center before the start of the 2026 Little Rock Marathon Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Little Rock. See more photos at https://www.arkansasonline.com/0302Runners/….(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Adam Vogler)..
A runner walks towards the starting line of the 2026 Little Rock Marathon Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Little Rock. See more photos at https://www.arkansasonline.com/0302Runners/….(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Adam Vogler)..
Runners take to the course at the start of the 2026 Little Rock Marathon Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Little Rock. See more photos at https://www.arkansasonline.com/0301Runners/..(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Adam Vogler)
`,
}
]
const inline_gallery_60977 = new LightGalleryWrapper(“lightgallery-gallery-container-60977”, dynamic_elements_60977);
inline_gallery_60977.open_gallery();
