FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) Dusty Hannahs hasn't experienced all that many shooting slumps in his life, but the Arkansas guard might just have found the answer to his early season shooting struggles by not starting.

For a second straight game, the Razorbacks sharp-shooter came off the bench on Tuesday night - scoring 17 points in 17 minutes as Arkansas (7-1) rallied from a halftime deficit for an 84-72 win over Houston.

Hannahs was 6 of 11 from the field and has now hit 5 of 10 3-pointers in his last two games, coming after he was held without a 3-pointer in the two games before that. After leading Arkansas in scoring last season, the senior is now embracing whatever role Razorbacks coach Mike Anderson gives him.

''I just tried to stop thinking about (missing shots), even though it was impossible to stop thinking about it because I was just watching so many misses happen,'' Hannahs said. ''... I was relaxed the last game and relaxed this game, and I think it's smooth sailing from here on, hopefully.''

Hannahs had plenty of help as Arkansas won its fourth straight game, with first-year junior Daryl Macon adding 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting. Moses Kingsley added 14 points and eight rebounds, while Dustin Thomas finished with 11 points as the Razorbacks shot 59.3 percent (16 of 27) in the second half after trailing 35-34 at halftime.

But it was Hannahs who provided the biggest spark, particularly in the first half when he scored 10 points in nine minutes.

''Look how efficient he is,'' Anderson said. ''... I think the key is getting playing time. Like I said, he's still a starter in my mind.''

Rob Gray scored 22 points to lead the Cougars (6-2), whose two losses this season have both come on the road against Southeastern Conference opponents. Damyean Dotson had 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Galen Robinson had 14 points and Wes Vanbeck scored 10.

Arkansas entered having won seven of its last eight games against its former Southwest Conference rival Cougars, who were making their first visit to Fayetteville since 1991.

The two teams also came in averaging more than 84 points per game, though Houston struggled early while falling behind by as many as 14 points in the first half. The Cougars rallied, however, to take a 35-34 halftime lead - with 32 of those points coming from the backcourt quartet of Dotson, Robinson, Gray and Vanbeck.

The four finished with a combined 61 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome Arkansas' hot second-half shooting.

''We still had a lead in the second half,'' Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. ''... This is a game we could have won, but you've got to play a little bit better defense and get a little more production out of our bigs in a game like this.''

BIG PICTURE

Houston: The Cougars had the guards to run with the Razorbacks, but they had no answers off their bench - which was outscored 34-14. Houston entered averaging 85.1 points, but it shot only 40 percent (14 of 35) in the second half.

Arkansas: The Razorbacks failed in their first true test of the season, falling 87-71 at Minnesota on Nov. 22. On Tuesday, they played like the team coach Mike Anderson had in mind when he signed guards Macon and Jaylen Barford from junior college - with an eye on immediately turning around following a 16-16 season. While Barford struggled with only two points, Macon was in control throughout, a positive sign for a team intent on returning to the NCAA Tournament after missing it last season.

MISSING DAVIS

Devin Davis, averaging 12.7 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, played only three minutes for Houston and was scoreless after cutting two fingers on his right hand early in the game. The 6-foot-7 junior needed six stitches to stop the bleeding, and Sampson was forced to play a smaller lineup without him.

UP NEXT

Houston begins a four-game stretch at home by hosting Rhode Island on Saturday.

The Razorbacks wrap up five straight games at home when they host North Florida on Saturday.

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