INFO
Date: Sunday, Jan. 5
Time: 1 p.m. CT
Opponent: Auburn
Location: Auburn Arena
TV: SEC Network
LAST TIME OUT
- No. 20 Arkansas (12-2, 0-1) dropped its SEC Opener, falling to No. 11 Texas A&M (13-1, 1-0), 84-77, at Bud Walton Arena on Thursday night.
- Chennedy Carter dropped a game-high 28 points, while two Aggies, N’dea Jones and Ciera Johnson, had double-doubles. Jones had 22 points and
14 rebounds, while Johnson had 11 points and 10 rebounds. - Arkansas had the edge from deep, making 12 threes to A&M’s six, but were outrebounded by the Aggies, 45-29.
- Redshirt junior guard Chelsea Dungee paced the Hogs with 20 points, while senior guard Alexis Tolefree kept up her strong play with 18 points.
- Amber Ramirez and Kiara Williams also reached double-figures for the Red & White, going for 14 points and 11 points, respectively.
- After trailing by 12 at halftime, Arkansas showed great fight in the second half. The Hogs won the third quarter 22-15, going into the final
intermission trailing just 59-54. Their strong play carried over into the beginning of the fourth quarter, as Coach Neighbors’ squad opened the frame
on a 7-2 run to tie the game up at 61 on a Makayla Daniels’ layup. - However, A&M would strike back, closing the game on a 23-16 run. Arkansas would get to within three (80-77) with 22 seconds to play, but the Aggies would put the game away at the free throw line.
- Senior guard Alexis Tolefree has been excellent for the Razorbacks so far this season.
- She is averaging career-highs across the board, including points per game (13.8), field goal percentage (.474), three-point field goal percentage (.494), and assists per game (2.2).
- Tolefree’s shooting from distance has been remarkable all season, as her .494 percentage mark from deep leads the SEC, and is the seventh-best mark in the country so far this season. Only Juicy Landrum from Baylor has a higher 3PT FG percentage than Tolefree among Power-5 players.
- Her 49.4 percentage mark from deep would be the best mark over a single season in program history.
- Tolefree’s volume of shots makes her percentage even more impressive, as she is currently third in the SEC in 3PM, with 40.
- The senior guard has been especially good over her last three games, as she is averaging 20.7 points per game over those contests while shooting a blistering 56 percent from the field and 61 percent from beyond the arc.
- Tolefree has also averaged 5.4 boards a game over that stretch, the third highest average over that period on the squad.
- Senior forward Kiara Williams is starting to make her presence felt as she continues to work her way back from injury.
- She was good against UT Martin, going for eight points in the second half alone.
- The senior was even better against No.11 Texas A&M, scoring 11 points in a season-high 22 minutes played. She also added four rebounds.
- With her two blocks against A&M, Williams now has 96 in her career. That figure is good for 10th-most all-time in program history.
- Auburn comes into its game against the Razorbacks at 6-6, falling to Vanderbilt, 77-55, in its SEC opener.
- The Tigers are led by Unique Thompson, who has been a monster on the low block so far this season.
- The junior is currently averaging 12.0 rebounds per game, tops in the SEC so far this season. She is also averaging 18.5 points per game, which is the fourth-best mark in the league, trailing only Chennedy Carter, Rhyne Howard and Chelsea Dungee.
- She has double-doubled in all 12 games so far this season.
- Daisa Alexander has also played well this season for the Tigers, averaging 13.5 points per game to go with a team-high 26 assists.
- Defensively, Auburn has been great getting into the passing lane this season, nabbing 10.7 steals per game as a team, tops in the SEC. That mark is tied for the 39th best mark in the nation.
For more information about Arkansas Women’s Basketball, follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @RazorbackWBB and on Facebook at Facebook.com/RazorbackWBB. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel, “Kickin’ It In The Neighborhood” for an inside look at the Razorback women’s basketball program and check out The Neighborhood podcasts at CoachNeighbors.com.