Malique Ewin update: Kenny Payne explains Arkansas forward's second half absence vs. Queens

Arkansas forward Malique Ewin did not return for the second half of Tuesday night’s win over Queens. According to Razorbacks assistant coach Kenny Payne, it was due to an illness.

In Ewin’s absence, Arkansas was forced to adjust their frontcourt rotation, opening the door for Nick Pringle to play an expanded role. The senior responded with his most productive performance of the season. He provided a boost as the Razorbacks pulled away for a dominant 108-80 victory.

All in all, Pringle finished with a season-high 14 points to go along with seven rebounds, using his size and physicality to overwhelm a smaller Queens lineup. Entering the game, Pringle was averaging 4.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per contest. That made his offensive emergence a notable development for Arkansas as it moved deeper into non-conference play.

“I feel like I kind of needed it,” Pringle said, via Jackson Fuller of the Fort Smith Southwest Times Record. “I’ve been not heavily scoring, but you’re trying to buy in on defense and getting rebounds and stuff like that. I’ve been struggling a little bit, but my teammates, they always stay on me. They upheld my confidence, and that’s one thing I love about this team.”

More on the Arkansas Razorbacks, big win over Queens

Regardless, the Razorbacks showed little drop-off without Ewin. Arkansas maintained control throughout the second half while continuing to build momentum offensively. Trevon Brazile led all scorers with a career-high 26 points, marking his third 20-point outing in the last four games as he continues a strong stretch of play.

Additionally, the win allowed No. 14 Arkansas (8-2) to avoid any slip up in the rankings following a neutral-site victory over Texas Tech earlier in the week. While Ewin’s status will be worth monitoring moving forward, Payne’s update suggested the issue was limited to illness rather than injury.

With Queens now in the rearview mirror, Arkansas quickly turns its attention to a marquee matchup. The Razorbacks are set for a top-15 showdown against No. 8 Houston, where continued contributions from players like Pringle could prove critical against one of the nation’s most physical and disciplined teams.