by Kylie Magar
FAYETTEVILLE – The Arkansas women’s basketball team (18-12, 6-9 SEC) was defeated by No. 1/1 South Carolina (28-0, 15-0 SEC), 98-61, on Thursday night. Arkansas trailed 26-22 after the first quarter, but the Gamecocks outscored the Hogs 72-39 in the remaining three frames, as the Hogs were limited to eight players. Maryam Dauda led the Hogs with a career-high 19 points.
The Hogs got on the board first, as Samara Spencer shot two technical free throws. Dauda then drained a 3-pointer and Spencer went coast to coast for a layup, as Arkansas led 7-2 just 1:15 into the game. The Gamecocks quickly chipped away at the lead to go on a 7-0 run, while Arkansas fell into a two-minute drought. Makayla Daniels then dug the Hogs out of that drought and the Hogs’ 0-for-5 stretch from the field with a triple. SC got a second-chance layup to go back ahead, but Dauda made her second triple off a lucky bounce. The Hogs led, 15-13, at the media timeout taken with 4:12 left in the first quarter. The Gamecocks made back-to-back layups off second-chance opportunities, which was a part of an 8-0 run for SC. Arkansas was held without a field goal for over four minutes until Carly Keats took it to the lane for a layup. Spencer then drilled a 3-pointer on Arkansas’ final possession of the first quarter, as the Hogs trailed, 26-22, after one quarter.
SC made the first six field goals in the second quarter, as the Hogs were held scoreless until 2:59 left in the half. At the media timeout taken at the 4:34 mark, Arkansas trailed, 36-22. After an SC 3-pointer, the Gamecocks led, 40-22. Keats then converted a 3-point play for Arkansas’ first score of the second quarter. Daniels and Dauda both took it to the rack for layups, but SC responded each time, including a 3-pointer. Dauda came up with another layup, but the Gamecocks answered on their last possession of the quarter with another score. The Hogs trailed, 47-31, at the half, as Arkansas was outscored 21-9.
Dauda made the first basket of the second half with a turnaround jumper and then delivered off a catch and shoot 3-pointer, as the Hogs trailed, 49-36, with 8:37 left in the third quarter. The Gamecocks had an answer for each of the Hogs’ basket, starting the quarter 5-for-5 from the field. Jenna Lawrence then nailed a 3-pointer following SC’s first miss of the third quarter, as the Hogs trailed 57-43 with less than five minutes to play in the quarter. SC stretched their lead right before the media timeout, going up on the Hogs 59-43 with 4:21 remaining in the third. The Gamecocks continued their run, stretching it to a 10-0 one, as Arkansas was held in a scoring drought for over three minutes. Daniels then broke Arkansas’ drought with a layup. After the Gamecocks extended its lead to 26, Lawrence made a quick triple and Emrie Ellis found Daniels for a triple, as the Hogs went on a 6-0 run to finish the third quarter. The Hogs trailed 71-51 going into the final 10 minutes of the game.
The Gamecocks opened the fourth quarter on a 7-1 run, as Arkansas trailed 78-52 with 7:31 left in the game. Out of the timeout, the Hogs made their first field goal of the fourth with a Saylor Poffenbarger jumper. The Gamecocks went on a 17-2 run to lead 90-54 with less than four minutes left in the game. The Hogs did not have a field goal for over 4.5 minutes, and then Keats drained a jumper to elevate to double digits in scoring. Arkansas was outscored 27-10 in the fourth quarter to fall, 98-61.
