by KYLIE MAGAR
FAYETTEVILLE – The Arkansas women’s basketball team (18-9, 6-6 SEC) earned its 12th straight win over Missouri (11-14, 2-10 SEC), 75-68. Arkansas went into the fourth quarter up by 20, but Missouri was able to cut the deficit to five with 24 seconds left in the game. Samara Spencer and Makayla Daniels combined for 5-for-6 from the line down the stretch to propel the Hogs back in the winning column. Five Hogs scored in double digits led by a career-high 18 points from Maryam Dauda.
Missouri got on the board first with a 3-pointer, but Spencer found Dauda under the basket for a quick response. The Tigers found their stride from beyond the arc quickly, making 3-of-4 shots from 3-point, and just three minutes into the game and after a 7-0 run by the Tigers, Arkansas called a timeout. down 15-6 with 6:24 left in the first quarter. During this stretch, Arkansas was held in a scoring drought for over two minutes until Saylor Poffenbarger made a cut to the basket for a layup. That layup started a 7-0 run for Arkansas, highlighted by a Dauda and-1 to cut the Missouri lead to two. Missouri then responded with a triple, but a Spencer take to the rack put the deficit back to two. Missouri pulled back ahead by five, but after a steal, Dauda found Carly Keats who took it to the basket and got fouled in the process. She converted the 3-point play and at the end of the first quarter, Missouri led, 25-23.
Carly Keats helped Arkansas take its first lead of the game off a triple to open Arkansas’ scoring in the second quarter, which would begin a 13-0 run. With the shot clock winding down, Daniels took matters in her own hands and came up with Arkansas’ third and-1 of the game. Keats then knocked down her second triple to pull the Hogs ahead, 32-25, with a little over 6.5 minutes to play in the second quarter. After a Keats layup, Missouri called a timeout with Arkansas ahead 34-25 with 6:08 left in the first half. Arkansas kept its run going out of the break, as Daniels took it to the rack off a steal. Missouri answered by breaking its five-minute scoring drought with back-to-back scores. After an offensive rebound by Daniels, the point guard found Poffenbarger, who knocked down a 3-pointer. The Tigers made their sixth triple of the game, but Spencer quickly responded with one of her own off the dribble and Poffenbarger drained another triple as a part of a 6-0 run. After outscoring the Tigers 25-11 in the second quarter, Arkansas led 48-36 at the half.
Spencer found Dauda for a layup three times to open Arkansas’ offense in the third quarter. After the third find, Missouri called a timeout, as Arkansas led 54-38 with 6:49 remaining in the quarter. Missouri converted a 3-point play out of the break. Dauda made a jumper off a second-chance opportunity, but Missouri answered with one of their own. Dauda then had an answer with another layup, and at the media timeout taken with 4:05 left in the third quarter, Arkansas led, 58-43. Arkansas kept its run going, as Poffenbarger drained her third 3-pointer of the game to extend Arkansas’ run to a 7-0 one, and its lead to 20. Missouri was held in a scoring drought for nearly four minutes during that stretch. At the end of the third quarter, Arkansas led, 64-44.
Missouri made a 3-pointer, while Arkansas came up empty on its first four possessions of the fourth quarter. Karley Johnson then drained a 3-pointer off an Arkansas steal, but the Tigers then answered with their second triple of the quarter, which started a 10-0 run for the Tigers in just over one minute, while the Hogs had four turnovers in less than two minutes. Arkansas was held in a scoring drought for 2.5 minutes, and at the media timeout, the Hogs led, 67-57. Daniels broke that scoring drought by making one of two free throws out of the break, but a Missouri 3-pointer and a layup cut the deficit to six. Daniels then got the Hogs out of their drought without a field goal for nearly five minutes with a layup. With 2:05 left in the game, Arkansas called a timeout, as Arkansas led, 70-64. Spencer made two free throws, but Missouri responded with a jumper. After Spencer got tripped up, Missouri took a timeout and with 44 seconds left in the game, Arkansas led, 72-66. After Spencer was fouled, she made one of two free throws, while Missouri scored a fast two. Daniels was then fouled and made both free throws, as Arkansas led by seven with 23 seconds in the game. Arkansas came up with another stop, and despite being outscored 24-11 in the fourth quarter, Arkansas made one last stop on defense to seal the 75-68 win.
