Arkansas struggles in second half, falls on the road to Texas A&M

The Arkansas women’s got outscored by 16 in the second half in a 73-67 loss to Texas AQ&M.

Despite holding a 10-point lead at halftime on Thursday, the Arkansas women’s basketball team let off the gas after the break and fell to Texas A&M, 73-67, in College Station.

The Aggies (17-9, 6-7 SEC) outscored the Razorbacks (18-10, 6-7 SEC) in the second half, 53-37.

Junior Samara Spencer led all scorers with 24 points, including a clutch three-pointer late in the game, to give Arkansas it’s final lead, 65-64. But A&M finished the game on a 9-2 run to put it on ice.

After trailing 15-13 at the end of the first quarter, Arkansas began to heat up in the second, outscoring the Aggies 17-8, to take a 30-20 lead into the half.

Sophomore Maryam Dauda and senior Makayla Daniels opened the second half with back-to-back threes, but allowed the Aggies to answer both shots with layups on the other end. Texas A&M went on an 8-0 run to go up 36-32 with 7:15 left in the third.

A layup by Dauda, off an offensive board, tied the game at 41-41. After the Hogs took a two-point lead, the Aggies drained a three to end the quarter with a 49-48 advantage.

An 8-2 run to start the fourth period increased the Aggie lead to seven. A three from sophomore Saylor Poffenbarger, and a pair of Spencer free throws, kept the Razorbacks within four. Spencer hit a short jumper, then a triple, to give Arkansas its final lead with less than three minutes to play.

A&M scored the next six points to secure the path to victory.

Spencer went 9-of-18 from the field, 2-of-3 from beyond the arc and 4-of-5 from the line, to record her sixth 20-point game of the season. She also registered three rebounds, two assists, two blocks and one steal.

Dauda netted 17 points, going 7-of-12 from the field and 2-of-3 from the arc, while tacking on six rebounds, two assists, two blocks and three steals. Daniels finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and three assists in 39 minutes of action, while

Arkansas will next host Vanderbilt on Sunday for “Pack for Mak” to honor Daniels’ Senior Day, with a 2 p.m. tipoff on SECN+.

Dauda spurs on Razorbacks to 12th straight win over Mizzou

Sophomore Maryam Dauda scored a career-high 18 points Sunday, to lead the Lady Razorbacks to a win over border-rival Missouri.

Sophomore Maryam Dauda poured in a career-high 18 points, including 13 in the pivotal third quarter, as the Arkansas women’s basketball team toppled border-rival Missouri, 75-68, for their 12th straight win over the Lady Tigers.

The Bentonville product led five Razorbacks in double-digit scoring, as she knocked down 8 of 12 shots from the field, while adding five rebounds, four assists, two blocks and one steal.

Arkansas (18-9, 6-6 SEC) went into the fourth quarter up by 20, but allowed Missouri to cut the lead to five with 24 seconds left in the game. Junior Samara Spencer and senior Makayla Daniels combined to hit 5-for-6 free throws in the final moments to preserve the victory.

The Tigers opened the game hot from the three-point line, sinking three of their first four from beyond the arc, and led 15-6 midway through the first period.

Sophomore Saylor Poffenbarger‘s layup sparked a 7-0 run for the Razorbacks, highlighted by a Dauda’s conventional three-point play, to cut the lead to two.

Sophomore Carly Keats opened the second quarter with a triple to give Arkansas its first lead of the game, and send the Hogs on a 13-0 run. Another Keats three put the Razorbacks in front 32-25 with just under seven minutes left in the first half.

Poffenbarger drained another three-pointer to spur a 6-0 run late in the half, as Arkansas outscored Missouri 25-11 in the quarter, and led 48-36 at the intermission. The 6-foot-2 Poffenbarger finished with her ninth double-double of the season, scoring 13 points and pulling down 11 rebounds.

The Razorbacks extended the margin to 64-44 heading into the final frame. But the Lady Tigers began to turn the tide, opening with a three, while Arkansas went cold on it’s first four possession of the period. Missouri (11-14, 2-10 SEC) outscored the Hogs 24-11 in the final 10 minutes, but Daniels scored five of her 14 points down the stretch to help preserve the win.

Daniels was 4 of 5 from the field and is now fifth in career points at Arkansas with 1,791, She also added six rebounds, two assists and one steal, tying her for third in career steals with 239.

Spencer also tallied 14 points, with six assists, while Keats finished with 11 points, in her first game back from a broken nose.

Arkansas was without the SEC’s leading scorer, freshman Taliah Scott, who had to return home to Florida, due to a “serious family emergency,” according to the Razorback Sports Network.

Arkansas will hit the road to face Texas A&M on Thursday at 7 p.m. The game will be aired on SECN+.

Arkansas women’s basketball drops two straight for the first time this season

The Arkansas women fell into an early hole and could never claw back in a loss at Tennessee.

For the first time this season, the Arkansas women’s basketball team has suffered back-to-back losses, following an 81-55 defeat at the hands of Tennessee in Knoxville Monday night.

Freshman sensation Taliah Scott, the SEC’s leading scorer, poured in a game-high 23 points, leading the Hogs in scoring for the 15th time this season. It was also her 19th time scoring double-digits in 20 games this season, and the 13th time she topped 20 points.

Tennessee began the game on a 12-0 run and never relinquished control, leading by as many as 27 in the fourth quarter.

Already playing with a short bench, it didn’t help matters that Arkansas got into early foul trouble. Sophomores Saylor Poffenbarger and Maryam Dauda each had three fouls before halftime. Tennessee then finished the half with four unanswered points to go to the break, up 40-24.

The Vols opened the second half with a three, before extended the lead to 24 midway through the third, then took a 63-37 lead into the final frame.

Dauda was the only other Razorback player with double-digit points, netting 10, with five rebounds and two assists.

Arkansas will next host Missouri on Sunday at 3 p.m., with the game airing on the SEC Network.

Super freshman Scott pours in 33 as Lady Razorbacks topple Auburn

Freshman Scott scores 17 of her game-high 33 points in the third quarter to lead the Lady Razorbacks to victory.

Down by nine at the half, the Arkansas women’s basketball team erupted for 31 points in the third quarter Sunday, to take command. But it was a pair of stout defensive stops at the end of the game that helped preserve a nail-biting 74-72 win over Auburn, in front of 4,450 fans inside Bud Walton Arena.

Super freshman Taliah Scott put on a show, once again, scoring 17 of her game-high 33 points in that third period. The SEC’s leading scorer – averaging 21.5 per game – drained 6 of 12 from beyond the 3-point line to top 30 points for the third time this season.

After Auburn (14-8, 3-6 SEC) shot out of the gates with a 6-0 lead, the Tigers then held Arkansas scoreless for nearly four minutes, later in the first quarter, to take a 17-6 lead.

The Lady Razorbacks (17-7, 5-4 SEC) missed their first nine shots from beyond the arc and trailed by 14 midway through the second quarter, before Scott hit from downtown and began to sway the momentum. Arkansas outscored Auburn 19-17 in the second stanza, but still trailed 34-25 at the intermission.

Scott and senior Makayla Daniels sank back-to-back triples within a 20-second span early in the third quarter, which pulled the Hogs to within five. Another three from Scott then cut it to two. And after Auburn made a free throw, Scott canned yet another triple to tie the score at 41-41.

Scott and Daniels then converted a pair of three-point plays, in the midst of an 18-1 Arkansas run, leading the Hogs to a a 56-45 lead heading to the fourth quarter.

Scott began the final frame with her sixth three of the night, extending the Razorback lead to 14. But a late 9-1 Auburn run helped trim the lead to one. The game was tied at 67-67 with 1:24 remaining, as Daniels sank a pair of free throws, only to see the Tigers convert a layup to knot the score once again.

Junior Samara Spencer converted a three-point play – with a layup and free throw – to put the Hogs back up by three with 37 seconds left.

After a big defensive stop by Arkansas, Scott was fouled and made a pair of free throws, before Auburn drained a three to cut the lead to 74-72. The Tigers then missed a layup with two seconds remaining, but got the rebound, only to miss another shot at the buzzer.

Daniels finished with 15 points and six rebounds, while sophomore Maryam Dauda picked up a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore Saylor Poffenbarger, the SEC’s second leading rebounder, scored just four points, but grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds for the Razorbacks.

Arkansas will next travel to Florida on Thursday, with a trip to Tennessee the following Monday, before returning home to host Missouri on Feb. 18.

Arkansas women get revenge, wipe Kentucky off the court, 88-61

The Arkansas women’s basketball team were still missing leading scorer Taliah Scott, but still managed to take down Kentucky.

Even with the SEC’s leading scorer Taliah Scott missing her fifth straight game with a back injury, the Arkansas women’s basketball team found a way take down Kentucky 88-61 at Bud Walton Arena Thursday night.

The Lady Razorbacks (15-6, 3-3 SEC) had only eight scholarship players available, but still managed to score 24 of their points off of 21 Wildcat turnovers. Scott did return to practice this week, and will possibly return to game action on Sunday.

Graduate guard Makayla Daniels led five Arkansas players in double-figure scoring, knocking down a game-high 22 points, along with six rebounds, seven assists and four steals. Sophomore Karley Johnson made in her first career start with a career-high 14 points.

The Razorbacks also avenged an early-season loss to the Lady Wildcats (9-11, 2-4 SEC), who won their previous matchup in Lexington, 73-63, on Jan. 4.

Daniels started the game on fire, making back-to-back layups, to give Arkansas an 8-0 lead, before Kentucky called a time out with 6:13 left in the first quarter. After a Maryam Dauda layup, Daniels splashed back-to-back triples to boost the lead to 18-0. The Wildcats finally scored almost seven minutes into the game.

The Hogs took a 44-34 lead into halftime and continued to roll in the second half.

Arkansas outscored Kentucky 22-15 in the fourth quarter, and led by as many as 29, following a second-chance driving layup by Daniels.

Dauda finished with 16 for the Razorbacks, followed by Johnson and Carly Keats with 14 each, and Samara Spencer with 13.

Arkansas will hit the road again Sunday with a trip to Missouri for a 2 p.m. tip-off, to be aired on SEC+.

Dauda sets school record with 10 blocks in win over Alabama

Maryam Dauda had quite the block party on Sunday in Coleman Coliseum in Arkansas’ 77-59 victory.

Maryam Dauda wasn’t in the mood to deal with another SEC defeat on Sunday.

A Coleman Coliseum crowd of 2,477 saw Dauda set an Arkansas record with 10 blocks in a 77-59 victory for the Razorbacks.

Dauda played all 40 minutes and also contributed 8 points, 12 rebounds and five assists to the cause.

Samara Spencer and Makayla Daniels combined for 47 of Arkansas’ 77 points, and actually outscored the entire Crimson Tide roster by themselves in the second half.

Taliah Scott, meanwhile, missed her third consecutive game with her back issues.

Arkansas outrebounded Alabama 52-35 and never trailed after the first quarter ended.

The Razorbacks will have an oddly scheduled week off, not playing again until next Sunday when they travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to face defending national champion LSU.

Dauda’s buzzer-beater ends epic 60-59 win over Illinois

Bentonville’s Maryam Dauda sank a layup just before the buzzer Wednesday to lift the Arkansas women to victory.

Sophomore Maryam Dauda hit a layup with less than a second left on the clock Wednesday to propel the Arkansas women’s basketball team to a thrilling 60-59 win over Illinois in the first of two games being played at the West Palm Beach Classic in Florida.

Down by a point, the Razorbacks got the ball to junior playmaker Samara Spencer with nine seconds to play. The savvy guard then found Dauda open under the basket for the winning score.

Spencer and SEC scoring leader Taliah Scott each netted 17 points to pace Arkansas. Dauda, a 6-foot-4 Bentonville product, was 4 of 5 from the field and finished with nine points, four rebounds and two blocked shots.

Ironically, Spencer and Scott are both Florida natives and got to shine back in their home state.

“Happy for our Florida kids to come home again,” head coach Mike Neighbors said. “And with Sam making the right basketball play, and Maryam being ready, with her hands up ready to catch it and lay that thing in at the buzzer. It was really exciting.”

Arkansas jumped out to a 7-0 lead to start the game, but went on a three-minute drought, allowing Illinois to respond with a 6-0 run.

The teams then traded the lead throughout the first half. Graduate guard Makayla Daniels scored on a layup, then hit one of two free throws late in the half to send the Razorbacks to the locker room with a 31-28 lead.

“Faced a lot of adversity with foul trouble early, and not being able to knock down free throws when we needed them,” Neighbors said. “But we really battled. I though defensively we really locked in when we needed to.”

After Illinois opened the second half with five straight points, Arkansas reclaimed a 43-40 advantage midway through the third quarter, on back-to-back threes from Spencer and sophomore Saylor Poffenbarger. But the Fighting Illini bounced back with a 7-0 run to retake the lead once again.

Illinois actually outscored Arkansas 23-17 in the third quarter, taking a three point lead into the final stanza.

Scott converted on a driving layup to put the Hogs back ahead, until Illinois tied the game again with a jumper. The score was knotted at 55-55 with 4:12 remaining.

The Hogs held Illinois to 0-for-8 from the three-point line throughout the contest, but only converted 4-of-23 themselves.

Arkansas trailed 59-56 with three minutes to play, but got two free throws from Poffenbarger and a key block from Dauda down the stretch.

Poffenbarger got the final defensive rebound with nine seconds left and passed to Spencer, who made her way right to the basket and found Dauda for the game-winner.

Poffenbarger scored eight points, while pulling down a game-high 19 rebounds, in addition to two assists and two blocks. The 19 boards was her third most this season.

Arkansas will play Illinois-Chicago Thursday at 10 a.m. (CT) to wrap up the West Palm Beach Classic. The game will be streamed on FloHoops.

Arkansas women finish undefeated on European trip

Three games down, three victories. The Arkansas women enjoyed a fruitful trip to Europe and will return home to prepare for the 2023-24 season.

The Arkansas basketball ladies capped off a 3-0 mark in Europe on Sunday, defeating the University of Regina 100-61 in Athens, Greece.

Jenna Lawrence, the freshman from Farmington, led the team in scoring with 15 points while Maryam Dauda, Sasha Goforth and Makayla Daniels were all in double figures with 14, 13 and 12 points respectively.

Arkansas enjoyed a 50-23 advantage on the glass, with Jersey Wolfenbarger pulling down 7 of those rebounds, five of which came on the offensive end. The Razorbacks had 19 as a team.

Taliah Scott tallied five assists to lead the team. They made 14 of 39 3-pointers and went 10-of-12 at the charity stripe.

The team will take some time off when they return to Fayetteville before beginning practices in preparation for the season, which begins in November.

Arkansas women get stiffer test on Wednesday

Arkansas got a more competitive game on Wednesday in Croatia and still managed to win by 22.

After winning by 112 points on Monday, Arkansas’ women’s basketball team was looking for more of a challenge.

The ladies received it on Wednesday, but still managed to defeat ŽKK Budućnost Podgorica 71-49.

Makayla Daniels had 11 points early to pace the team, while Maryam Dauda had seven first half rebounds and two blocks.

It was 50-35 after three quarters and then Arkansas outscored the Croatian team 21-14 in the final quarter to set the final margin.

The team will be back in action on Sunday after traveling to Athens, Greece, where it will play the University of Regina.

Arkansas limits UCA to 22% shooting in easy basketball matinee

Arkansas had little trouble with Central Arkansas on Friday morning.

Two in-state opponents played, two in-state opponents defeated.

The Arkansas women’s basketball team beat Central Arkansas in its home opener Friday from Bud Walton Arena, 72-34, on Elementary Day. The victory helped the Razorbacks to a 2-0 start after they knocked off Arkansas-Pine Bluff on the road to start the season earlier in the week.

The game against UCA was never terribly close. The Bears shot 22% from the field, 11% from 3-point range and 42% from the free-throw line. No one scored in double figures.

Arkansas had three players reach double-digits. Erynn Barnum led the team with 19 points and nine rebounds. Makayla Daniels added 14 points and Maryam Dauda had 10 off the bench.

Coach Mike Neighbors’ team has a quick turnaround. Tulsa visits Fayetteville on Monday night.

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