Arkansas women’s basketball team gets 2 victories in European Tour

The Arkansas women’s basketball team zoomed to a decisive 124-12 win over InCroatia All-Stars to begin the first of three games on the European Tour on Monday.

Then, the Razorbacks took down one of the best women’s team in Croatia in ŽKK Budućnost Podgorica by a score of 71-49 in the Hogs’ second game on Wednesday.

In Monday’s victory, Arkansas forced 38 turnovers and logged 26 steals, as the team debuted the press for one quarter. Emrie Ellis led with 19 and Saylor Poffenbarger followed with 15 of her 18 points in the second half to finish with a double-double (18 points, 10 rebounds). Freshman Jenna Lawrence showed the type of versatile player she is, finishing shy of a double-double with 15 points, nine rebounds and six steals.

With 124 points, the Hogs broke an Arkansas Women’s Basketball European Tour record. Poffenbarger’s double-double was just the second double-double by a Hog in a European Tour game and Lawrence’s six steals tied for the most.

The Hogs commenced the game on a 29-0 run, as InCroatia All-Stars took nearly seven minutes to get on the board with a free throw. Arkansas closed out the quarter on a 14-0 run, which was sparked by a Lawrence 3-point basket and capped off by another Lawrence trey off a turnover.

Makayla Daniels made the most of her 12 minutes on the court, beginning the second quarter with a steal, leading to a Lawrence layup off a miss. The momentum kept rolling, as Arkansas continued on a 26-6 run to close out the half with a 70-7 edge.

Poffenbarger began her hot second half with a 3-pointer and Carly Keats followed with one of her own to contribute to the Hogs’ 13 3-pointers on the night. Arkansas led 101-12 after the third quarter.

The Hogs did not allow InCroatia All-Stars to score in the fourth quarter, outscoring the team 23-0 in the fourth. All 13 Hogs saw double-digit minutes on the floor with multiple hockey line substitutions throughout the game.

Arkansas enjoyed the morning with a guided tour of the ancient city of Split. The team looked around and learned more about Diocletian’s Palace before having some time to explore the downtown area by the harbor.

In Wednesday’s game, Arkansas held ŽKK Budućnost Podgorica to 25.4 percent shooting, a team with five players who played on their junior national team and one on the senior national team. ŽKK Budućnost Podgorica also went undefeated in Montenegrin Prva A at 23-0.

Daniels led the Hogs with 13 points, while freshman Taliah Scott impressed with 12 points, five boards, four assists and two steals. All 13 Hogs saw action on the court.

Both sides took a few possessions before getting on the board, but Arkansas got going thanks to a 7-0 run sparked by two Jersey Wolfenbarger free throws. After a 3-pointer by Makayla Daniels, the Hogs went up 18-8 with 3:43 left in the first. Arkansas closed out the quarter on a 10-6 run, and after 10 minutes, Daniels led Arkansas with 11 points.

A Scott layup and Wolfenbarger second-chance layup elevated the Hogs ahead by 16 at 32-16, but ŽKK Budućnost Podgorica went on an 8-0 run to cut the Arkansas lead, 32-24. Poffenbarger then nailed a 3-pointer to put the Hogs back ahead by double digits, but after a few baskets and a late free throw by the opposition, Arkansas held a 39-30 edge at the half.

The opposition would cut the lead to eight out of the half, but that is the closest the team would get. The Hogs ended the quarter on a 5-0 run, while also holding ŽKK Budućnost Podgorica to just five points in the third quarter.

ŽKK Budućnost Podgorica got within 12 points halfway through the fourth, but answers from Samara Spencer and Scott in the paint on the other side held a comeback from starting. Karley Johnson and Loren Lindsey both knocked down 3s to elevate the lead to as many as 25 with under a minute to go, and with the Hogs outscoring ŽKK Budućnost Podgorica, 21-14 in the fourth, Arkansas prevailed to a 71-49 win.

The team spent that morning at the Elefiti Islands, boating to two beaches, including beach Sunj, a one-kilometer-long sandy beach that is popular among the locals. On Tuesday, Arkansas toured the city of Dubrovnik, including seeing the beautiful views on a cable car ride, several sites from Game of Thrones and the rooftop court of Dubrovnik.

Arkansas flew to Greece tomorrow morning and spend their first few days exploring Athens before playing the University of Regina at 10 a.m. Sunday.