FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas officially opens the 2018-19 season hosting Northwestern State on Friday at 10:30 a.m. in Bud Walton Arena.
The early morning tip time accommodates the program’s ninth consecutive Elementary Day promotion with more than 4,000 area students expected to attend.
In the Huddle
Tickets: http://bit.ly/WBB19Tix
Parking: Fans are encouraged to park in Lot 56 for Friday’s game.
Watch: http://bit.ly/WBBArkNSU
Listen: Razorback Sports Network from IMG
Live Scoring: http://statb.us/b/233631
Notes: http://bit.ly/ArkWBBNotes
Social: @RazorbackWBB (Twitter/Instagram) | Facebook.com/RazorbackWBB
About the Game
The Razorbacks open the season hosting Northwestern State. The Lady Demons were 7-22 overall last season and return their second-leading scorer from a year ago.
Libba Gilliam averaged 10.7 points per game and led the team in rebounding with 4.6 boards per game in 2017-18. Arkansas is 13-3 all-time against Northwestern State and is a perfect 9-0 at home against the Lady Demons.
About the Razorbacks
The Razorbacks return nine letterwinners, four starters and welcome three newcomers who will immediately impact the program.
Leading scorer Malica Monk and leading rebounder Kiara Williams both return with a year of experience under the direction of second-year coach Mike Neighbors.
Redshirt sophomores Chelsea Dungee and A’Tyanna Gaulden join freshman Rokia Doumbia and junior college addition Alexis Tolefree and all four will be pivotal elements in Arkansas’ success this season.
Two Exhibitions, Two Wins
Arkansas had an extended warmup to the 2018-19 season this year playing three games in Italy in August followed by two official exhibition contests.
The Razorbacks were 5-0 in those games.
In the two recent exhibition games, redshirt sophomore A’Tyanna Gaulden averaged 19.5 points per game including a 27-point effort against Southwest Baptist.
The Razorbacks outscored their opponents 216-99 and had five players average double figures. In addition to Gaulden, Malica Monk (15.0), Chelsea Dungee (13.0), Kiara Williams (13.0) and Rokia Doumbia (12.0) were all above the 10-point mark.
Up Next
We’ve only just begun. Arkansas faces a big road test at UT-Arlington on Nov. 14.
The Lady Mavs are picked third in their conference and are tough on their home court. The Razorbacks host No. 23 Arizona State on Nov. 18 followed by games against Tennessee State, Pittsburgh and Wisconsin at the Music City Thanksgiving Tournament in Nashville, Tennessee, Nov. 23-25.
