Arkansas women down Murray State Racers

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas women’s basketball team survived another scare, as the Hogs defeated Murray State 82-79 on Arkansas’ 12th Elementary Day.

The Hogs (2-0) were up by as many as 24 points early in the third quarter, but saw that lead slip away as the Hogs were outscored 48-35 in the second half to cut the game to three points. Arkansas was able to fend off MSU for the win.

Arkansas came up empty on its first five possessions, but Samara Spencer knocked down a triple on the sixth and Taliah Scott followed that up with an and-1.

After MSU was held off the scoreboard for nearly three minutes, the Racers (0-1) scored four unanswered points to tie the game at 8-all.

Spencer responded with a layup, but MSU tied the game back up with a lay-up off the fast break. At the media timeout taken at 3:41, the game was knotted up at 10-all.

Arkansas was held in a scoring drought for nearly three minutes, but Carly Keats drained a triple to cut the MSU lead to two. Sasha Goforth was fouled on a 3-point basket and made one of three shots, as Arkansas trailed the Racers 1716 after the first quarter.

Scott came up with a jumper and Goforth delivered a lay-up off a great Saylor Poffenbarger pass. Two press breaks led to Makayla Daniels lay-ups, forcing MSU to take a timeout. Arkansas was ahead 24-20 just 1:48 into the second frame.

The run continued, as Scott delivered two lay-ups, including one coast-to-coast and Spencer drilled a 3-pointer on the 10-0 run.

Murray State answered with a 3-pointer, but Arkansas scored six unanswered, including a triple by Daniels, as the Hogs led 36-23 at the halfway point of the quarter.

MSU went on a 6-0 run to cut the Arkansas lead to seven until a Scott spin move for a lay-up dug the Hogs out of the drought. That lay-up started an 8-0 run by the Hogs, and after a Poffenbarger lay-up, the Racers took a timeout, as Arkansas led 42-29 with 1:10 left in the first half.

The Hogs closed out the half on a 5-2 run, capped off by Keats’ second triple of the game. Arkansas went into the locker room with a 47-31 edge. Arkansas’ 31 points in the second quarter tied a school record for most points scored in a second quarter of a game.

Poffenbarger came out of the break with a lay-up, which initiated an 8-0 run, as the Hogs led 55-31 with 7:22 left in the third.

Murray State went on an 8-0 run of its own, as Arkansas was quiet from the field for nearly three minutes, but a Maryam Dauda 3-pointer and Poffenbarger lay-up off a steal put the Hogs back up 60-39 with 4:06 left in the third.

Keats’ third 3-pointer of the game gave Arkansas its largest lead of the day with 23, but MSU answered with back-toback baskets. MSU charged on a 9-0 run, as Arkansas could not find a field goal for nearly three minutes, but a take by Daniels off an assist from Cristina Sanchez Cerqueira broke the drought. Arkansas went into the fourth quarter with a 68-55 advantage.

MSU began the fourth quarter on an 8-4 run to cut Arkansas’ edge to nine. Arkansas took a timeout with 8:20 left in the game with the 72-63 edge. Scott made a driving lay-up to pull her point total to 23, but the Racers cut the lead back to single digits with a 3-pointer. Arkansas called a timeout up 74-66 with 6:29 left in the game.

The Racers nailed their eighth 3-pointer of the game to cut the deficit to five, but Spencer and Scott responded with lay-ups to go back up nine with five to play.

The Racers then nailed another 3-pointer, as Arkansas was ahead 78-72 with 4:20 left in the game. Arkansas was held quiet from the field for the remaining five minutes of the game, and after MSU made their 11th 3-pointer of the day, the lead shrunk to three with 33 seconds left in the contest.

Arkansas used up the clock on its last possession with a three-second differential on the shot clock and game clock, but Spencer’s 3-point attempt was just off the mark with less than four seconds on the clock. MSU was unable to call a timeout to set up a play to tie the game.

The Razorbacks were slated to return to action Tuesday night as it closed out its seasonopening three-game homestand against Arkansas-Little Rock at Bud Walton Arena.