FAYETTEVILLE — Graduate student Devin Cosper recorded her first Razorback double-double and Malica Monk led all scorers as Arkansas rallied in the third quarter for a season-opening win over Sam Houston State on Friday.
The game, with 4,719 screaming elementary day students, saw Arkansas move to 22-0 in home openers with the 65-54 win over the Bearkats.
The game challenged the Razorbacks early and Arkansas trailed by five at the halftime break.
SHSU outscored Arkansas 13-5 in the first quarter but a late run gave the Razorbacks an 18-15 advantage in the second frame.
A defensive change by the Razorbacks stalled the Bearkats in the third period as the Arkansas offense caught fire behind Cosper and Monk. A 12-0 run to start the second half ended with Arkansas outscoring Sam Houston State 23-9 in the period. Arkansas stretched the lead to 23 before finishing with the 11-point win.
Cosper had just six points and three rebounds after the first 20 minutes but she finished with 17 points and 12 boards in the game. Monk tallied a game-best 18 points and had just one turnover in 33 minutes of ball handling.
• Arkansas trailed 13-5 at the end of the first quarter and 28-23 at the half
• The Razorbacks held SHSU to a 1-for-9 stretch with great defense late in the second quarter
• Arkansas forced eight first-half turnovers by the Bearkats and 15 for the game
• The Bearkats had an 8-0 run in the first quarter to open a big lead early
• Arkansas outscored SHSU 23-9 in third quarter to lead by nine with 10 minutes to go
• Devin Cosper and Malica Monk reached double figures in the third quarter
• Arkansas had two made 3-pointers in the first half and finished the game with nine including a 5-for-8 performance in the third quarter
• Today’s attendance was 4,719, second-best for an Elementary Day at Arkansas
• Nine of 11 Razorbacks scored in the game
UP NEXT
Arkansas hosts Samford in game two of the season on Sunday at 1 p.m. A reminder to fans that the Razorback men’s basketball team welcomes Bucknell on Sunday at 5 p.m.
PROMOTIONS
Sunday’s game against Samford is Sunday Funday! Kids 12 and under receive complimentary admission with a paying adult on Sundays.
Adult general admission tickets are just $5 and are available at the door.
