by By Mario Bravante
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – No. 20 Arkansas (12-2, 0-1) dropped its SEC Opener, falling to No. 11 Texas A&M (13-1, 1-0), 84-77, at Bud Walton Arena on Thursday night. Chennedy Carter dropped a game-high 28 points, while two Aggies, N’dea Jones and Ciera Johnson, had double-doubles. Jones had 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Johnson had 11 points and 10 rebounds. Arkansas had the edge from deep, making 12 threes to A&M’s six, but were outrebounded by the Aggies, 45-29.
Redshirt junior guard Chelsea Dungee (Cherokee) paced the Hogs with 20 points, while senior guard Alexis Tolefree kept up her strong play with 18 points. Amber Ramirez and Kiara Williams also reached double-figures for the Red & White, going for 14 points and 11 points, respectively.
TURNING POINT
After trailing by 12 at halftime, Arkansas showed great fight in the second half. The Hogs won the third quarter 22-15, going into the final intermission trailing just 59-54. Their strong play carried over into the beginning of the fourth quarter, as Coach Neighbors’ squad opened the frame on a 7-2 run to tie the game up at 61 on a Makayla Daniels’ layup.
However, A&M would strike back, closing the game on a 23-16 run. Arkansas would get to within three (80-77) with 22 seconds to play, but the Aggies would put the game away at the free throw line.
HOG HIGHLIGHTS
- For Dungee, it was her 28th game as a Razorback going for 20+.
- Tolefree has been on a tear over her last three games, averaging 20.7 over that stretch.
- It was Tolefree’s third game this season with six treys, matching her career-high.
- For Williams, it was her first double-digit outing since last season’s WNIT, when she went for 15 against Houston (3/21/19). Williams also added two blocks.
NEXT TIME OUT
The Razorbacks hit the road for the first time in conference play, heading to Auburn for a showdown with the Tigers. That game is set to tipoff at 1 p.m. CT, and can be watched on the SEC Network.
