Arkansas’ pitching turned around from Saturday night’s opener and Brady Slavens drove in all four runs, including three-run homer over Texas.
Neighbors after win over LSU about Slocum returning with huge night
Destiny Slocum (29 points, 4 steals, 3 rebounds) and Chelsea Dungee (20 points, 3 steals, 3 rebounds) keyed Hogs’ 74-64 road win over Tigers.
Hogs win sixth of last seven games, picking up road win at LSU
BATON ROUGE, La. — Arkansas is peaking at the right time, downing LSU on Sunday evening, 74-64, in a game that really wasn’t as close as the final score indicated.
The No. 18 Razorbacks (17-7, 7-6 SEC) got their third straight SEC win and knocked the Tigers (8-11, 6-7) below .500 in league games.
The return of Arkansas guard Destiny Slocum was the story of the night, as the senior went off for 29 points on 11-15 shooting, including 5-7 from behind the arc.
Despite missing the Ole Miss game on Thursday night with a non-covid illness, Slocum put on one of her best performances of the season.
And Chelsea Dungee once again posed a problem for the opponent offensively as well, going for a quiet 20 points of her own, while also swiping three steals in the effort.
Turning point
LSU never led in this one, as Arkansas jumped out to an early lead, shooting 4-5 from deep in the first quarter while securing a double-digit advantage before the start of the second frame.
The Hogs coasted along the rest of the first half, taking a 14-point lead to the locker room after shooting 60 percent from the floor while holding LSU to just 36 percent in the first 20 minutes.
Dungee and Slocum got it done in the opening half, going for 13 and 15 points, respectively, to start the game.
The Razorbacks kept the pedal down in the second half, continuing their scoring surge in the third quarter, stretching the lead to 22, the biggest lead of the game.
Slocum was lethal on the offensive end, scoring 14 more in the second half to keep Arkansas ahead of the Tigers.
LSU guards Jailin Cherry and Khayla Pointer both played well, accounting for 40 of LSU’s 64 points, but it simply wasn’t enough, as the Hogs held firm down the stretch to secure the road win.
Hogs highlights
• Slocum also put up four steals in this one, a season-high.
• Erynn Barnum packed a punch off the bench once again, going for 12 points in only 14 minutes.
• Despite going scoreless, Amber Ramirez collected six boards, a season-high.
• Senior forward Taylah Thomas nearly double-doubled, going for seven points and seven boards.
Next game
The Hogs stay on the road for their next matchup, traveling to play Auburn on Thursday.
The Razorbacks and Tigers are set to tip off at 8 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
Hogs open 2021 win a wild win over Texas Tech in State Farm Showdown
Arkansas’ 13-9 win over Texas Tech on Saturday night in the State Farm College Baseball Showdown wasn’t particularly pretty, but it was crazy.
“That was one of the craziest games I’ve been in in a while,” Dave Van Horn said later.
In a game that started late and finished even later, it went down to the final half-inning to determine things.
Maybe the best stat line of just how crazy the game was is the Hogs scoring five of their 13 runs on a wild pitch or balk.
Elijah Trest, who picked up the win in relief, started off by giving up a three-run homer in the seventh and somehow managed to hang around long enough to get the win.
“Very rarely does a reliever get a chance for a little bit of redemption to stay in the game and get him out for the next two innings,” Van Horn said. “We come back, get a win, and he gets a win personally.”
Zebulon Vermillion started the game and didn’t do particularly bad, giving up two runs on three hits over four innings, striking out four and walking a couple of Red Raiders’ batters.
Both teams managed to leave a small village on the bases (Arkansas 10, Texas Tech 9). At times, pitchers got the ball everywhere in Globe Life Park except over the plate.
“Both teams really didn’t play very well, didn’t pitch very well, they got a couple big hits, they took advantage of a couple mistakes,” Van Horn said. “We took advantage of a couple mistakes on them.”
In the end, though, the main thing for Van Horn was coming out of the mess with a win to kick off the season.
“I’m just proud of the way our team just kept fighting and fighting,” Van Horn said. “We fought hard to score those two runs to take the lead, and they come back and get hit by a hit pitch, a walk, a three-run homer and now we’re losing again.
“We didn’t get all uptight, we just kept fighting, and it was just a good night for us.”
Now the Hogs face Texas on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Sunday’s meeting will be the 89th between the two programs. The series dates back to 1974 when the Hogs and Longhorns met annually as members of the SWC from 1974-91.
The Longhorns hold the advantage over the Razorbacks in all-time meetings, leading the series, 56-32. Arkansas, however, has won five of the last six matchups between the two teams.
Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.
Van Horn on Hogs’ ‘crazy’ 13-9 win over Texas Tech in State Farm Showdown
Razorbacks’ coach Dave Van Horn said the victory over the Red Raiders was “one of craziest games I’ve been a part of in a while.”
Webb on big catch early, then key hit to pad Razorbacks’ lead late in win
Arkansas right-fielder Braydon Webb had a big catch in the third inning to save a run, then a ninth-inning hit to give the Hogs a 13-9 lead.
Neighbors looks ahead to quick turnaround matchup on road against LSU
Arkansas coach Mike Neighbors previews the matchup with the Tigers that is good preparation for what team will see in postseason.
Dungee’s 38 points paces Razorbacks past Ole Miss on Friday night
Destiny Slocum wasn’t able to play Friday night, but Chelsea Dungee exploded for a 38-point night and Arkansas downed Ole Miss, 84-74.
The 18th-ranked Razorbacks (16-7, 6-6) completed the Mississippi sweep, taking down Ole Miss (9-8, 3-8). With the win, Arkansas has clawed back to .500 in the SEC, and has now won five of its last six games.
Slocum, a senior transfer, has been a key member of the team and Mike Neighbors said after the game her absence had nothing to do with covid-19 or a practice injury.
Dungee was at it again against the Rebels, exploding for a season-high 38 points, making 11 of her 22 shot attempts, while also putting in 14 of her 17 free throws.
It was her fourth game this season going for 30+ points, and the fifth time in her career going for 37 or more.
Her performance also broke a tie with former men’s basketball star Mason Jones for the most 37+ point performances by a player, man or woman, ever put on in Bud Walton Arena.
Turning point
Dungee and Amber Ramirez were hot from the start, both recording double-digit points in the first half.
Dungee went for 18, while Ramirez chipped in with 10. An 11-0 Arkansas run in the first quarter shifted the momentum in the Hogs’ favor early, with the home squad knocking down 55 percent of their first-half shots.
The Razorbacks forced 12 Rebel turnovers in the opening two frames to help Arkansas secure a 41-36 lead going into the locker room.
The second half started much like the first, as Arkansas tallied six quick points to start the final 20 minutes.
Dungee pounded the paint, drawing six fouls for 11 free throws in the second half alone, knocking down nine of them.
The Rebels had a surge of their own, though, drawing multiple three-point plays in the fourth quarter to try to draw even with the Hogs, but Arkansas kept the pressure on, courtesy of a couple of big buckets by Erynn Barnum and Marquesha Davis down the stretch.
Hogs highlights
• Dungee was only three points shy of her career high (41, Auburn, 2019).
• Dungee has now hit 10+ free throws in six games this season.
• On top of it all, she also had four assists and two steals.
• Dungee’s 38-point total was the third highest scoring game by an SEC player in a conference game this season.
• Jailyn Mason was big on the glass after being pressed into starting duty, grabbing a team-high six rebounds for the Hogs.
• Ramirez continued her hot scoring streak, as she has scored 15+ in five of her last six games.
• Mason and Ramirez also nabbed three steals each.
• Barnum recorded a game-high +17 in her big game off the bench, going for seven points, four boards and two steals.
Next game
Arkansas will be back in action on Sunday, heading to the Bayou to play LSU.
Tip-off is scheduled for 5 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
Hogs’ Neighbors on not handling Slocum’s absence for non-covid illness
Razorbacks coach Mike Neighbors talked after the 84-74 win over Ole Miss without Destiny Slocum, who missed the game not related to covid.
Dungee on stepping up with Slocum out of lineup in win over Ole Miss
Arkansas’ Chelsea Dungee (38 points, 4 assists) took over the scoring again after finding out Destiny Slocum wasn’t going to be able to play.
Ole Miss’ McPhee-McCuin not happy with effort from start in loss to Hogs
Rebels’ coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin talked after the 84-74 loss to the Razorbacks on Friday night about a lack of effort from her team.
