by Kylie Magar
FAYETTEVILLE – The Arkansas women’s basketball team (18-11, 6-8 SEC) fell to Vanderbilt (20-8, 7-7 SEC), 62-53, on Pack for Mak to honor Makayla Daniels’ Senior Day. Arkansas came within two points with 7:50 to play, but the Commodores closed out the game. Samara Spencer led the game with 19 points, while playing all 40 minutes.
Both teams came up empty on their first pair of possessions until Spencer found Karley Johnson who nailed a trey. The Commodores answered with a 6-0 run, while the Hogs were in a scoring drought for four minutes. At the media timeout taken at the 4:42 mark, Vanderbilt led, 6-3. Out of the break, Daniels nailed a 3-pointer off a turnover to tie the game, and then Spencer drove to the basket for two. Vanderbilt took a timeout, as Arkansas was ahead 8-6 with 3:12 left in the first quarter. Vanderbilt broke their nearly four-minute drought by knocking down three free throws and a 3-pointer, and Carly Keats broke the Hogs’ two-minute drought with a mid-range jumper. At the end of the first quarter, Vanderbilt led, 12-10.
The Commodores scored first in the second quarter, as the Hogs had turnovers on back-to-back possessions. Spencer and Keats then made a layups to tie the game back up, and after a Spencer jumper, the Commodores called a timeout, as Arkansas was on a 7-0 run and led 17-14 with 5:22 left in the second quarter. Out of the timeout, Vandy made back-to-back 3-pointers to retake the lead. After being in a two-minutes drought after the break, Spencer tied the game at 20 with a triple. The Commodores then went on a 4-0 run, and after Vandy forced a turnover, Saylor Poffenbarger was able to quickly get the ball back, and with one second left, she made just about a three-quarters court shot at the buzzer, as Vandy led, 24-23 at the half.
Maryam Dauda opened the second half with a 3-pointer on Arkansas’ second possession, but that was the only field goal the Hogs could have for over six minutes, as Vandy went on a 14-2 run. Arkansas called a timeout, as Vandy had its largest lead of the game, 38-28, with 2:49 left in the third quarter. Spencer ended the drought without a field goal with a layup. Daniels then came up with a layup and got fouled in the process, and Keats made the free throw to convert the 3-point play. Keats made a 3-pointer, but Vandy quickly answered with a 3-point play. At the end of the third quarter, Vandy led 48-39.
Spencer made a layup to start the fourth quarter and then converted a 3-point play after being fouled on a layup to cut the deficit to four. After Emrie Ellis made two free throws out of the media timeout, Vandy led 48-46 with 7:50 left in the game. After Vandy made their first basket of the fourth quarter, Johnson answered with a tough layup as time on the shot clock expired. Vandy then made back-to-back baskets, and with 5:05 left in the game, the Hogs trailed, 56-50. Keats then delivered a stepback 3-pointer to cut the deficit to three, but the Hogs couldn’t score for the rest of the game, as Vandy went on to hold on, 62-53.
