by FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – No. 25 Arkansas (19-5, 7-4) put on a historic offense display on Sunday afternoon, beating No. 15 Kentucky (18-5, 7-4), 103-85, marking the most points ever scored by the Hogs against an SEC foe. For the Razorbacks, the win marked their first against a top-15 opponent in Bud Walton Arena since 2016, (W, No. 13 Tennessee, 64-59, 1/14/16) and the first win against the Wildcats since 2011 (W, Kentucky, 78-67, 1/6/11). Head Coach Mike Neighbors’ squad fed off what was a historic crowd all game long, as the 5,638 people packed in the Palace were the most at a Razorback Women’s Basketball game since January of 2011.
Senior guard Alexis Tolefree continued her dominant final collegiate campaign, as she went for a team-high 30 against Kentucky. It was her second-career 30-point performance, and the second in her last three games. Redshirt junior guard Chelsea Dungee (Cherokee) also had a big game for the Hogs, going for 24 points on an efficient eight for 12 clip, including a perfect four of four from beyond the arc.
TURNING POINT
The game was tightly contested in the first half, as the Hogs took a 38-35 lead into the intermission. However, the Razorbacks used a huge third quarter, one in which they outscored the Wildcats 33-19, to break this game wide open.
Arkansas opened the period with an 11-3 run, getting contributions from Tolefree (5), Dungee (4) and Amber Ramirez (2). After the ‘Cats cut it back to six, Arkansas would close the period as strong as it opened it, finishing the frame on a 14-2 run. The Hogs would take a 71-54 lead into the third, and would never look back.
HOG HIGHLIGHTS
- The Hogs scored 100+ for the third time this season, and for the second time in SEC play. Their 103 points were the most since they scored 106 against Sam Houston State back in 2009.
- The Razorbacks shot the ball at a staggering .593 clip (35-59) on Sunday afternoon, the best since they shot 60 percent (36-60) against Ole Miss back in 2013 (3/3/12).
- Arkansas was somehow even better from three, scorching the nets at a .667 percent (14-21) clip, the best percentage in program history when attempting more than 15 threes.
- With her 30 points, Tolefree joined Chelsea Dungee as the only Hog with multiple 30+ point games so far this season.
