TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Arkansas women’s basketball team (14-5, 2-2 SEC) overcame a slow start to defeat Alabama (15-4, 2-2 SEC), 77-59. Down 12-2 in the beginning of the game, Arkansas turned the tide, outscoring Alabama 47-27 in the second half. The Hogs earned its 10th straight win in Tuscaloosa, as Maryam Dauda broke the single-game school record with 10 blocks and the Hogs outrebounded Alabama, 52-35. Samara Spencer led the way with her first double-double of the season with a season-high 31 points and a career-high 14 rebounds.
Carly Keats helped the Hogs get on the board with a jumper, and then Arkansas came up empty on its next seven shot attempts. During that time, Alabama went on an 11-0 run, while the Hogs were held in a scoring drought for over three minutes. Arkansas called a timeout, down 12-2 with 6:33 left in the first quarter. Karley Johnson dug the Hogs out of the scoreless drought by knocking down one of two free throws, and then forced a travel on the other end of the floor. Dauda then guided Arkansas out of its drought from the field with a second-chance layup and Spencer delivered an and-1 for the 3-point play. The Hogs trailed 24-12 with less than two minutes left in the quarter, but Arkansas finished the frame on a 6-0 run thanks to layups from Saylor Poffenbarger and Spencer, as well as a jumper from Poffenbarger at the buzzer. Alabama led, 24-20, after one quarter.
Dauda made one of two freebies to start the second half, but then the Hogs fell in a scoring drought for over four minutes. The Tide were in a drought of their own until getting going on a 5-0 scoring run. Keats had an answer with a jumper for Arkansas’ first field goal of the second half. At the media timeout taken at the 4:49 mark, Arkansas trailed, 29-23. Out of the timeout, Spencer drove to the rack for a second-chance layup and then followed that up with another one to help the Hogs on a 6-0 run to creep within two. Alabama was held in a scoring drought for over four minutes until knocking down a triple, but Jenna Lawrence had an answer with a layup. The Hogs held the Tide to eight points in the second quarter, as Arkansas trailed by two, 32-30, at the half.
Makayla Daniels tied the game with a driving layup, and after Dauda’s fourth block of the day, Daniels charged all the way down the court for an and-1 to help the Hogs take the lead for the first time since the opening minutes of the game. Poffenbarger then logged a layup off a miss, and with the Hogs on a 7-0 run, Alabama took a timeout with 8:24 left in the third quarter and the Hogs up, 37-32. The run for the Hogs continued, as Spencer knocked down a triple and followed that up with a layup, while the Hogs were on a 12-0 run. Alabama scored its first basket of the second half three minutes into the quarter. Daniels then drilled down a triple, but Alabama responded with a 3-point play. In the next sequence, Spencer came up with a layup, while Alabama answered with another layup. Alabama then knocked down a triple, as Arkansas was held in a scoring drought for nearly three minutes. With 2:50 left in the third quarter, Arkansas led, 47-42. With Alabama on a 7-0 run, Karley Johnson had a response with a layup, which started a 6-0 run, but Alabama answered with a triple. Dauda was then fouled with two seconds left in the quarter, and made the backend of the two freebies. Arkansas went into the fourth quarter up, 54-47.
Alabama came up with a jumper in their opening possession of the fourth quarter and off a steal, the Tide knocked down a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to two. That was the closest Alabama would come to the Hogs for the remainder of the game. Daniels and Spencer then delivered back-to-back layups and Alabama called a timeout with 8:12 left in the game and the Hogs ahead, 58-52. Out of the break, Daniels knocked down a triple, which continued the Hogs on a 13-0 run, as Poffenbarger made a triple and Keats came up with an and-1. Arkansas led, 67-52, with less than five minutes to play in the game. Spencer then delivered two free throws to extend the run to a 15-0 run, but Alabama got out of the drought with a jumper. The Hogs outscored the Tide, 6-3, in the remaining three minutes of the game, as the Hogs got back in the winning column with a 77-59 victory at Alabama.