FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It finally happened. Playing in-state schools has finally resulted in a loss as Arkansas fell to Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 74-70, on Sunday afternoon.
UAPB outscored Arkansas 42-28 in the second half. The Hogs cut the lead to one off a Saylor Poffenbarger 3-pointer with 1:36 left in the game, but UAPB answered with a triple off their 22nd offensive rebound of the day, which was the deciding factor in the game. Taliah Scott led the Hogs with 31 points off six 3-pointers.
Arkansas and UAPB both came up empty on their first pair of possessions, and then the Golden Lions scored first with a layup off a steal. The Hogs responded with a Makayla Daniels layup, but UAPB came up with an and-1 on the other end. Arkansas called a timeout 3:41 into the game, down 5-2.
Arkansas tied things up with Scott and Daniels making 3-of-4 shots from the line. After the Hogs went down a stretch going 0-for-6 from the field, Scott broke that drought with a layup off an assist from Poffenbarger. UAPB retook the lead, 9-7, with a layup, but Scott knocked down two free throws to knot the game back up at 9-9 with under two left in the quarter.
Scott then broke the Hogs’ three-minute drought from the field with a 3-pointer. The freshman knocked down another one from long distance, but UAPB answered with one of their own, as Arkansas held a slight advantage, 15-14, after one quarter. Scott logged 12 of Arkansas’ 15 points in the first quarter.
UAPB retook the lead with a layup, but Scott splashed in two 3-pointers, her third and fourth of the game, as the Hogs went on a 6-0 run. UAPB got another layup, but Scott answered with yet another 3-pointer. The Golden Lions took a timeout, as Arkansas led 24-18 with 6:04 left in the first half. At this point, Scott was outscoring UAPB by three, as the freshman had 21 points compared to UAPB’s 18.
UAPB then went on a 4-0 scoring run, but Daniels responded initiated a 12-2 run for the Hogs with a 3-pointer. During that stretch, Poffenbarger and Daniels knocked down two triples, a piece as Arkansas was ahead 38-26 with less than two minutes left in the half. UAPB answered with a 3-pointer and Maryam Dauda came up with a layup on the other end. UAPB knocked down three free throws after being fouled on a 3-pointer, but Scott delivered a layup for the Hogs before the end of the half, as Arkansas went into the locker room ahead, 42-32.
The Hogs scored on their first possession of the second half, as Dauda made a second-chance basket. UAPB then scored back-to-back baskets to cut the Hogs lead to seven, 44-37, with 7:48 left in the quarter. Scott knocked down her sixth 3-pointer of the game, 10th for Arkansas, but UAPB was able to convert on a 3-point play. Daniels logged back-to-back layups, but UAPB kept finding an answer, as Arkansas led, 51-45 with 5:38 left to play in the third quarter.
Poffenbarger knocked down a triple, but UAPB had an answer with a layup. Off a miss, Spencer found a cutting Scott to the basket. UAPB called time with Arkansas up, 56-47, with 4:30 left in the third quarter. UAPB knocked down a triple to cut the Hog lead to six. Arkansas was in a drought from the field for nearly four minutes, as UAPB went on a 7-0 run to cut the lead to one, 58-57, with less than one minute remaining in the quarter. Scott knocked down two free throws, but UAPB responded with a 3-pointer. At the end of the third quarter, Arkansas led, 61-60.
While Arkansas came up empty-handed on their first two possessions of the fourth quarter, UAPB delivered second-chance basket to retake the lead for the first time since the beginning of the second quarter. Samara Spencer answered with a 3-pointer, as the Hogs went back ahead, 64-62, with 7:48 left in the game. Out of a timeout, UAPB went on a 5-0 run, as the Golden Lions led, 67-64. A Daniels’ floater inched the deficit for the Hogs to one, but the Golden Lions responded with a putback layup.
With 4:33 left in the game, Arkansas trailed, 71-67. Arkansas was held in a scoring drought for four minutes, but UAPB was held in one of their own for three minutes. Poffenbarger then knocked down a 3-pointer to stop the drought and pull Arkansas back within one, 71-70, with 1:33 left in the game.
With the Hogs looking for a stop, UAPB missed a layup, as Poffenbarger logged her fifth block, but an offensive rebound by UAPB allowed them to kick the ball out for a 3-pointer, which ended up being the decisive factor of the game. Arkansas could not find an answer with one minute left in the game, and the Hogs dropped its first in-state matchup since the games have been picked up in 2019-20, with a 74-70 defeat.
Hogs Games Notes
• Scott led the Hogs with 31 points, while knocking down a career-high six 3-pointers and going 7-of-8 from the free throw line. She added six rebounds and two assists
• The freshman has eight 20+ point games this season, two in the 30s, while her 23 points in the first half were the most scored by a Hog this year
• Poffenbarger finished with her fourth double-double of the season behind 13 points with four 3-pointers and 10 rebounds, along with a career-high five blocks and two steals
• Daniels registered 16 points off 6-of-9 shooting from the field with four rebounds and three steals
• The grad student made more strides on the all-time top 10 lists at Arkansas, now standing at No. 6 in steals (213) and 7th in points (1,590)
• Dauda finished with six points, four boards and three blocks. She had the team’s highest +/- with +7
• Spencer logged eight boards and two steals
Next Game
The Hogs will head to North Little Rock to face Samford on Saturday, Dec. 16, at 12:30 p.m. at Simmons Bank Arena. The game will be broadcast on SECN+.
