by LEXINGTON, Ky. – Arkansas women’s basketball (12-4, 0-1 SEC) could not overcome a slow start, as the Hogs fell to Kentucky (8-7, 1-0 SEC), in the SEC opener, 73-63, at Rupp Arena. Arkansas had 12 turnovers and shot 16 percent from the field in the first half, while UK went on a 16-4 run in the second quarter. The Hogs used a 29-point third quarter to go into the fourth trailing by just one but could not complete the comeback in a game that saw seven lead changes and six ties. Samara Spencer led the game with a season-high 25 points.
Kentucky won the tip, but Maryam Dauda helped the Hogs get on the board first with Arkansas’ first two field goals, which were both layups off assists from Spencer and Makayla Daniels. After Kentucky came up with a jumper in response to the Hogs’ first score, Arkansas held the Wildcats in a scoring drought for nearly four minutes. At the media timeout taken at the 4:58 mark, Arkansas had the 6-2 edge. Out of the break, UK broke its drought with a layup. Arkansas then could not find a field goal for the remaining six minutes and some change of the quarter. After UK was in a scoring drought of its own for over four minutes, UK scored a layup to cut the deficit to two. At the end of the first quarter, Arkansas led, 8-6.
In the beginning of the second quarter, UK tied the game off a layup, but Spencer responded with a layup of her own. UK then used a 6-0 run to take the lead for the first time of the game, up on the Hogs, 14-10, with 5:41 left in the first half. The Wildcats extended its run to a 12-0 one, as the Hogs trailed 20-10 with less than four minutes left in the half, while Arkansas was in a scoring drought for nearly five minutes. Taliah Scott dragged the Hogs out of the long drought with a layup. Overall, in the second quarter, UK used a 16-4 run over seven minutes to hold a 26-14 edge over the Hogs at the half.
The second half started with a pair of turnovers from both sides. The Hogs started the half with a 4-0 run thanks to jumpers from Spencer and Scott. UK then took a timeout, as the Hogs trailed, 26-18, with 7:28 left in the third. Saylor Poffenbarger helped the Hogs continue its run with a layup off a spin move to cut the deficit to six, but UK responded with a layup. UK went back ahead by nine, but the Hogs kept clawing away, and a Scott rim runner cut the deficit to five until UK responded with a jumper. At the media timeout taken at the 4:55 mark, Arkansas trailed, 32-25.
Spencer drove to the basket for a layup and knocked down one of two free throws and after Carly Keats drained Arkansas’ first triple of the game, Arkansas was behind, 34-31. UK knocked down two free throws, but Scott responded with a triple. With 2:36 left in the third quarter, the Hogs trailed, 36-34. Keats then helped the Hogs take its first lead of the second half off her second triple, but that was short-lived, as UK scored three straight points. Spencer tied the game after knocking down two freebies. Spencer helped the Hogs go back ahead, 43-42, with two free throws, but UK got a shot off before the buzzer to retake the lead, 43-42, going into the fourth.
Spencer scored the Hogs first eight points of the fourth quarter. Spencer helped the Hogs retake the lead with an and-1, but UK came up with a jumper on the other end to tie the game at 46. Spencer then made one of two free throws to pull the Hogs back ahead, but that was Arkansas’ last lead of the game, as UK went on a 4-0 run to lead, 50-47, with 7:54 left in the game. UK went ahead by five, but Keats splashed in her third 3-pointer of the night to cut the Wildcat lead to two with 4:07 left. The Wildcats had a response with back-to-back layups, and with three minutes left in the game, Arkansas trailed, 61-55. UK added another layup to lead by eight, but Scott knocked down a jumper, as Arkansas trailed, 63-57, with 1:57 left in the game. Arkansas started to press, which forced a turnover that led to a Daniels layup. With 1:11 left in the game, the Hogs trailed, 63-59, after a second-chance layup by Spencer. That was the closest the Hogs could get, as UK went 8-for-8 from the free throw line in the final minute, and the Hogs dropped the SEC opener, 73-63.
