Hogs bounce back from loss to down Samford handily

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas got back to its winning ways on Saturday afternoon with a win over Samford (7-4) at Simmons Bank Arena. The Razorbacks forced 21 turnovers, including 11 in the first quarter alone.

Despite Samford cutting the lead to four early in the third quarter, the Hogs used a 10-2 run to close out the third quarter for the cushion needed for the win. The Hogs dominated in points in the paint with 28 compared to the Bulldogs’ 12, and the Hogs were led by Samara Spencer’s 20 points, her second 20-piece of the year.

After winning the tipoff, Maryam Dauda knocked down a triple on Arkansas’ first offensive possession. Arkansas then fell in a scoring drought for 2.5 minutes until Dauda hit two free throws. Samford committed turnovers in each of their first four possessions, finishing with 11 in the first quarter, as the Hogs led, 5-0, just 2:59 into the game.

The Bulldogs got on the board after 3.5 minutes with a jumper and followed that up with a quick triple to tie the game at 5-5. After Dauda’s 3-pointer on the Hogs’ opening possession, Arkansas went 0-for-6 from the field until Samara Spencer found an open Makayla Daniels from downtown and the graduate student drained the triple.

That 3-pointer was a part of a 7-3 run for Arkansas. Cristina Sanchez Cerquiera then came into the game and provided valuable minutes with a layup and rebound, but a Samford 3-pointer cut the Hogs’ lead to one, 12-11. After Spencer made one of two free throws, Arkansas took a 13-11 lead after one quarter.

The Bulldogs tied the game at 14-14 with a 3-pointer, but Dauda knocked down a mid-range jumper. The Bulldogs then took their first lead of the game off a 3-pointer, as the Bulldogs started the game 5-of-9 from beyond the arc.

Arkansas was in a three-minute scoring drought until Carly Keats came up with a floater. Arkansas trailed 19-18 at the media timeout taken with less than five minutes left in the quarter. Out of the break, the Hogs tied the game up twice, and a Daniels layup pulled the Hogs back ahead, 23-21. The Hogs closed out the quarter on a 10-0 run, their biggest run of the game, while Daniels capped things off with knocking down a triple before the buzzer. At the half, Arkansas led, 29-21.

Samford got on the board first in the second half to break a 4.5-minute scoring drought and followed that up with another layup to go on a 4-0 run. The Hogs started the second half shooting 0-for-5 from the field, but Daniels knocked down a 3-pointer off a third-chance opportunity.

Off an Arkansas steal, Spencer took the ball all the way down the lane to get an and-1. The Hogs led 35-27 with 6:17 left in the quarter. The Hogs then went up by 10, as Dauda made two free throws. At the media timeout taken at the 4:50 mark, Arkansas had the 37-27 edge. Out of the break, Daniels was aggressive to the basket with a layup, which was a part of a 7-0 run for the Hogs.

After the Bulldogs took a timeout, Samford knocked down back-to-back triples to cut Arkansas’ lead to six. Arkansas went on a 7-0 run after Saylor Poffenbarger made two free throws, Spencer had a floater and Taliah Scott stole the ball quickly for a quick two. Samford responded with a basket, but the Hogs stretched their lead, 46-35, with 1:05 left in the quarter. Samford was called for an intentional foul and Scott drew a foul from beyond the arc to go 3-for-5 from the line to close out the frame. Arkansas went into the final 10 minutes of play up, 49-35.

The Bulldogs scored first in the fourth quarter off two free throws, and Spencer answered with two of her own after drawing a foul on the other end. Samford cut the deficit to 10 with a second-chance layup, but Spencer responded with back-to-back layups, including an and-1.

Spencer sparked a 6-0 run on her own for the Hogs, then making 1-of-2 free throws after finding her way back to the free throw line. Samford made back-to-back 3-pointers, both quickly, but Keats answered with a triple of her own, as Arkansas led 60-47 with 4:58 left in the game. The Bulldogs cut the lead to 10, but Scott answered with a layup.

The Hogs led, 63-51, with 2:28 left in the game. Arkansas closed out the game’s final two minutes with a 5-3 run, including a 3-pointer by Jenna Lawrence to put the Hogs up by 17, but the Bulldogs answered with one of their own. The Hogs earned the win in front of the North Little Rock faithful, 68-54.

Hogs Notes

• Spencer led the way by tying a season-high 20 points off 7-of-12 shooting from the field and a 6-of-8 mark from the free throw line. This game marked her second 20-piece of the year, 13th in her career, while leading the team in points for the first time this season. Spencer was also +17 on the day

• Daniels registered her ninth double-digit scoring contest of the year, 86th of her career, with 14 points behind three 3-pointers. She added three boards, two assists and three steals

• Dauda recorded 11 points and logged six of those from the line, where she was a perfect 6-of-6. She was one rebound shy of a double-double with nine and matched a career-high three blocks, while playing a career-high 37 minutes

• Pofffenbarger recorded 13 rebounds, her 17th career double-digit rebounding game, eighth this year. Additionally, Poffenbarger and Dauda finished the game +16

• Arkansas outscored Samford in the paint, 28-12

• The Hogs’ bench provided a spark, contributing 12 points while limiting Samford’s bench to zero points. Keats had seven of those points off shooting 3-of-6 from the field

• Lawrence played a valuable nine minutes, logging five rebounds, two on the offensive end 

Next Game

The Razorbacks head back to the Sunshine State for the third time this season, as the Hogs will play at the West Palm Beach Classic from Dec. 20-21. The Hogs will play Illinois on Wednesday, Dec. 20 at 10 a.m. with the game being broadcast on FloHoops.