53.7 F
Fayetteville

Tolefree scores 35 as Hogs come from behind to down Missouri

ESPN Arkansas News Services
-
0
Tolefree scores 35 as Hogs come from behind to down Missouri

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Arkansas overcame a 13-point deficit with 5:35 remaining in the fourth quarter to beat Missouri  in overtime, 85-81.

The comeback was the largest for the Hogs since last year’s epic win over Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament, and it gave the Razorbacks their first win in Columbia since 2014.

Senior guard Alexis Tolefree poured in a career-high 35 points in the win, shooting 12-of-23 from the field, 5-of-11 from deep, and 6-of-10 at the free-throw line.

Tolefree scored 14 of the Hogs’ 23 points in the fourth quarter to get the game to overtime.

Redshirt junior guard Amber Ramirez had 24 points, her second straight game eclipsing 20 points.

 Turning point

Missouri had all the momentum and appeared to be on the verge of an upset midway through the fourth quarter leading by 13 with 5:35 to go in the game.

That 13-point advantage, 69-56, was the biggest for Missouri all game.

The Hogs responded with authority, clawing all the way back to tie it up at 74 by with an 18-5 run the rest of the way.

The Hogs’ defense rose up, forcing Mizzou into six turnovers in the fourth, partially because of the effect its full court press defense had on the Tigers.

Arkansas actually had a chance to win in regulation, but neither of its two shot attempts on the final possession went down.

Five different Hogs scored in the overtime period, led by redshirt junior A’Tyanna Gaulden, who scored three of the Razorbacks’ 11 points in the frame.

Chelsea Dungee, Taylah Thomas, Tolefree and Ramirez each had two. Thomas only had four points in the game, but her two free throws at the end of overtime iced the game for Arkansas.

 Highlights

• Tolefree’s 35-point showing was one of just 14 35+ point games ever by a Razorback.

• Tolefree’s 35 points were the most in her career. It was also her first 30+ point performance as a Razorback, and the second most points scored by a Hog this season.

• Tolefree’s 35 points were the most ever by a Razorback on the road versus an SEC opponent.

• Her 12 makes in the game set a new career-high, while her six free throws made matched her career-best.

• Ramirez became the first Hog since Chelsea Dungee last season to score 22 or more in consecutive SEC games.

• The sharpshooter also went wire-to-wire against Mizzou, playing all 45 minutes, a new-career-high.

• Thomas led the Hogs on the glass, pulling down nine rebounds.

 Next game

The Razorbacks return home for a two-game homestead with a rematch against No. 1 South Carolina on Thursday night.

That game is set to tip-off at 7:30 p.m. and will air on the SEC Network.

Information from Razorback Sports Communications is included in this story.

Razorbacks shut out Wichita State for second road win in non-conference

ESPN Arkansas News Services
-
0
Razorbacks shut out Wichita State for second road win in non-conference

WICHITA, Kan. — Arkansas recorded a 4-0 win over Wichita State Sunday afternoon at the Sheldon Coleman Tennis Complex, notching its second road victory of the dual match season.

Doubles

Arkansas got off to a strong start in doubles play as courts three and one came through for the Razorbacks.

On court three, the sophomore duo of Thea Rice and Laura Rijkers cruised to a 6-3 win while the 34th-ranked Tatum Rice and Lauren Alter battled to a 6-4 decision.

Jackie Carr and Martina Zerulo saw their match go unfinished as they trailed 5-4.

Singles

After taking the doubles point, Arkansas’ effort in the early stages of singles was strong, and a pathway to victory began to emerge.

Rijkers, Carr and Zerulo all posted wins in their respective opening sets.

Rijkers was the first win of the day for the Hogs over Tin-YaHsu on court five, 6-0, 6-3. arr was second to finish in the No. 3 spot, 6-4, 6-2, notching her second victory of the spring season over Lingwei Kong.

Soon after Zerulo nabbed a 6-4, 6-2 win against Sandra Honigova in the No.1 position.

Sophomore Kelly Keller and veterans Alter and Tatum Rice saw their respective singles matches go unfinished. Keller’s bout went incomplete at 6-2, 4-6, 1-1, while Alter’s match was unfinished, heading into the third set 2-6, 7-6(3).

Tatum Rice was moving into a third-set tiebreaker before Zerulo’s breakthrough.

Rice’s match stood at 6-0, 7-5, 2-1 when the fourth and deciding point was awarded to the Razorbacks.

Singles competition
1. Martina Zerulo (ARK) def. Sandra Honigova (WSU) 6-4, 6-2
2. Esther Thebault (WSU) vs. Tatum Rice (ARK) 0-6, 7-5, 2-1, unfinished
3. Jackie Carr (ARK) def. Lingwei Kong (WSU) 6-4, 6-2
4. Marta Bellucco (WSU) vs. Lauren Alter (ARK) 6-2, 6-7 (2-7), unfinished
5. Alexandra Lazarova (WSU) vs. Kelly Keller (ARK) 2-6, 6-4, 1-1, unfinished
6. Laura Rijkers (ARK) def. Ting-Ya Hsu (WSU) 6-0, 6-3

Doubles competition
1. Tatum Rice/Lauren Alter (ARK) def. Lingwei Kong/Esther Thebault (WSU) 6-4
2. Marta Bellucco/Natsumi Kurahashi (WSU) vs. Martina Zerulo/Jackie Carr (ARK) 4-5, unfinished
3. Thea Rice/Laura Rijkers (ARK) def. Ting-Ya Hsu/Alexandra Lazarova (WSU) 6-3

Match Notes:
Arkansas Razorbacks 3-1
Wichita State 1-4
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (6,3,1)

Information from Razorback Sports Communications is included in this story.

Razorbacks follow win over No. 5 Bears downing Omaha comfortably

ESPN Arkansas News Services
-
0
Razorbacks follow win over No. 5 Bears downing Omaha comfortably

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas followed up an upset over No. 5 Baylor earlier in the day with an easy 6-1 win against Omaha on Saturday night.

Arkansas took the doubles point, then earned five straight singles wins to take their second match of the day.

Melvin Manuel and Jose Dominguez Alonso started the scoring for Arkansas in doubles, winning 6-0, on court three.

The pair now have a record of 4-1 together this season. The No. 2 pair of Alex Reco and Nico Rousset downed Ouattara/Lawley, 6-3, claiming the doubles point for the Hogs.

After moving up to the No. 2 spot in singles, Nico Rousset cruised in straight sets over Nathan Reekie, 6-3, 6-4. Courts No. 5, No. 6 and No. 4 nearly finished at the same time with all three resulting in a Razorback win.

Enrique Paya came back in the second set, eventually winning it 7-5 to take the match in two sets while freshman Aleksa Bucan earned a win in his first appearance as a Hog, 6-4, 7-5.

Melvin Manuel picked up his second straight-set win of the day, downing Davis Lawley 7-6, 6-4 at the No. 4 spot.

Alex Reco then closed out the night with a win in his first time playing at the top spot this season. Reco fell behind 5-9 in the 10-point tiebreak but battled back to win it 12-10 and get a 7-5, 4-6, 12-10 victory.

The Razorbacks will be on the road for the first time this season when the squad heads to Norman, Okla., for a match with the Oklahoma Sooners.

First serve for the match has not be assigned.

Singles results

• No. 1 | Alex Reco (Ark) def. Abdoul Ouattara (Omaha), 7-5, 4-6, 12-10
• No. 2 | Nico Rousset (Ark) def. Nathan Reekie (Omaha), 6-3, 6-4
• No. 3 | Matt Hulme (Omaha) def. Jose Dominguez Alonso (Ark), 6-4, 6-2
• No. 4 | Melvin Manuel (Ark) def. Davis Lawley (Omaha), 7-6, 6-4
• No. 5 | Enrique Paya (Ark) def. Hugo Piles Ballester (Omaha), 6-3, 7-5
• No. 6 | Aleksa Bucan (Ark) def. Yaswanth Mylavarapu (Omaha), 6-4, 7-5

Doubles results

• No. 1 | Verboven/Paya (Ark) vs. Reekie/Hulme (Omaha), 2-5
• No. 2 | Reco/Rousset (Ark) def. Ouattara/Lawley (Omaha), 6-3
• No. 3 | Dominguez Alonzo/Manuel (Ark) def. Henry/Piles Ballester (Omaha), 6-0

Information from Razorbacks Sports Communications is included in this story.

Gray rallies in 3,000-meters to pick up win with career best time

ESPN Arkansas News Services
-
0
Gray rallies in 3,000-meters to pick up win with career best time

FAYETTEVILLE — Abby Gray’s determination over the final pair of laps in the 3,000m earned her an impressive victory in a career best time of 9:16.98 on the second day of the Razorback Invitational.

Gray was stationed in third place in the latter stages of the race, behind Georgia’s sister combo of Jessica (9:18.64) and Samantha Drop (9:26.50).

With a lap remaining in the race, Gray moved from third to first place and then pulled away for a convincing victory. She covered the final 200m lap in 32.35 seconds and split 67.74 over the last 400m of the race.

“We had some good breakthroughs this weekend and Abby Gray was an example of that in the 3,000m,” said Arkansas women’s coach Lance Harter. “It was a big breakthrough for her and a confidence boost. Now she’s back, potentially, in the national scene.

“It couldn’t happen to a nicer kid, because she had to go through some setbacks and overcome them. It’s super exciting to see her work hard and the fruits of her labor starting to pay off.”

Just as impressive was the effort by a trio Razorbacks in the mile, after each ran a leg of the distance medley relay the previous evening.

Carina Vilhoen led the Arkansas crew with a 4:36.33 to place third behind Standford’s pair of Ella Donaghu (4:33.71) and Jessica Lawson (4:35.56).

Razorbacks Krissy Gear and Katie Izzo followed career best times of 4:37.20 and 4:37.47 to finish fourth and fifth.

“We are flushed with milers,” said Harter. “It’s a big confidence boost to Carina that she could run a great lead-off 1,200m leg and come and run an even faster mile.

“Izzo anchored with the mile in the distance medley relay and produced a lifetime best in the Invitational mile. Krissy’s previous best mile was seven to eight seconds slower. It’s a testament to our depth in that event.”

The Razorback 4×400 relay posted a time of 3:33.45 as runner-up in a tight finish. Florida (3:33.31) held on for the win after both teams passed early leader Texas (3:35.03) on the last lap of the race.

Running on the relay for Arkansas were Paris Peoples (54.23), Morgan Burks-Magee (52.06), Tiana Wilson (53.53) and Rosey Effiong (53.63).

Earlier in the meet, Peoples ran 53.47 for fifth in the Invitational 400m while Wilson produced a career best of 7.40 twice in the 60m prelims and then placed seventh in the final with a 7.46.

In team scoring No. 6 LSU won with 96 points over No. 11 Florida (80) and No. 4 Texas (70). The next three teams included No. 2 Georgia (67), No. 17 Oregon (65) and No. 3 Arkansas (62.5) among a field of 13 teams.

Information from Razorback Sports Communications is included in this story.

Thomas says Hogs knew early Atwater was going to be great one

Andy Hodges
-
0
Thomas says Hogs knew early Atwater was going to be great one

Steve Atwater came to Arkansas in the fall of 1984 as one of four freshmen quarterbacks and it lasted for three days before he got moved to the secondary.

Apparently Ken Hatfield and his staff saw what got Atwater to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in an official announcement made Saturday by the NFL.

“We knew he was destined for greatness early on,” said former Razorback quarterback Greg Thomas, who was the only one of the four freshmen that stayed under center. “As soon as the upperclassmen came in after the third day, he was moved to safety.”

The fact of the matter is Atwater probably should have been in a few years ago. The combination of the political selection nature and lack of safeties in Canton kept him out a few years.

“It had been tough on him not getting in,” Thomas said Saturday night after the official announcement. “I love him to death. He’s one of the coolest cats ever.”

In Hatfield’s system, the defense actually played with two safeties unlike today’s game which has more cornerbacks on the field. He was an All-American selection his final year, 1988.

Atwater was a first-round draft choice of the Denver Broncos and proceeded to make the All-Rookie team in 1989 and have eight Pro Bowl appearances and three Super Bowl appearances, winning two of them.

He had over 1,000 tackles and most of them were remembered by the guy getting tackled.

Thomas said they noticed that in Fayetteville, too.

Especially because he had to go against him live in practices and that was in the days of Hatfield’s Flexbone offense where the quarterback did a lot of running.

“He never blew me up, though,” Thomas said. “I wasn’t going to let him hit me. He came inside out at you, so you either had to make him miss or out-run him. He tackled me a lot, though.

Maybe no play symbolized his career more than a hit he made on Kansas City’s Christian Okoye, who was known as the “Nigerian Nightmare” because he simply ran over people.

On a Monday night in Denver in 1990 he tried to run over Atwater, but it didn’t work. Atwater, who spent five years hitting people with the Razorbacks, knocked Oyoye backwards with a tackle that didn’t involve his helmet.

At Arkansas, though, Atwater delivered big hits and could also play pass defense.

“When we played Baylor in 1985 when they had Cody Carlson at quarterback was when you knew Atwater could really play,” Thomas said, recalling how the then-redshirt freshman played in that game.

The Bears came into the matchup at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock ranked No. 11 and the 12-ranked Hogs knocked them off, 20-14.

“In 1986 against Texas A&M, he almost killed Rod Bernstine,” Thomas said. “But we knew in the ’87 season he was playing like an All-American and he made that in 1988.”

In Atwater’s four seasons with the Razorbacks (1985-88), the team went 38-11. It was a period of time that was about as good as it’s ever been, finishing three of those years ranked in the Top 20 with appearances in the Cotton, Orange, Liberty and Holiday Bowl games.

Atwater is a member of the UA Sports Hall of Honor as well as the school’s All-Century and All-Decade teams. He was named to three All-America teams as a senior in 1988 (Associated Press and Sporting News second team, Football News third team).

Atwater was a three-time All-Southwest Conference performer (1986, 1988 first team, 1987 second team). The St. Louis native still holds the school record of 14 career interceptions.

He also recorded 229 career tackles and 28 pass deflections in his Razorback career.

Atwater becomes the third Razorback selected to the Hall of Fame for his playing days. Lance Alworth and Dan Hampton were selected previously.

Jerry Jones was selected for his contributions as owner of the Dallas Cowboys in 2017 and Jimmy Johnson will join Atwater going in this year for his time as a coach with the Cowboys and Dolphins.

Former Cowboys free safety Cliff Harris, a native of Hot Springs who played at Ouachita Baptist, is the third Arkansas connection that will be inducted this summer in Canton.

But Atwater’s selection is something his former teammates will be celebrating along with the fans.

“Now I can tell everybody I’ve got a teammate in the Hall of Fame,” Thomas said. “I can say I hung out in college for four years with a Hall of Famer.

“Man, I’m loving this.”

Razorbacks third in close team chase for title at Razorback Invitational

ESPN Arkansas News Services
-
0
Razorbacks third in close team chase for title at Razorback Invitational

FAYETTEVILLE — A tight team battle and some stand-out Arkansas performances highlighted the second day of the Razorback Invitational at the Tyson Indoor Track.

A crowd of 1,766 saw a team competition which included the five nationally ranked programs separated by only nine points.

The No. 15 Razorbacks were third in team scoring as they produced another pair of individual runner-up finishes while the 4×400 relay placed third.

“It’s good that it’s tight again for us in team scoring situations,” said Arkansas men’s coach Chris Bucknam. “Last year was a rough year for us, just being out of the mix in all of the meets we were in. But I’m really pleased from fall track all the way to our first real test since we got back to school and started the indoor season.

“We competed for the win. We are happy with a lot of personal bests and great competitive efforts by our guys. There was some load management going on with a bunch of our guys since we have another month before the SEC Championships.

“Right now, it’s all about handling that competitive anxiety and hardening the shell mentally that way. We took a big step forward in that regard.”

Carl Elliott III earned runner-up honors in the 60m hurdles with a career best time of 7.76 seconds, edging out LSU’s Damion Thomas, who also ran 7.76, while the Tigers’ Eric Edwards won in 7.66.

Razorback Tre’Bien Gilbert also produced a personal best of 7.79 in placing fifth.

Elliott and Gilbert move to positions No. 4 and No. 5 on the Arkansas all-time list in the hurdles.

“I’m very happy for the hurdlers,” noted Bucknam. “They did a great job and had some personal-best times.”

Cameron Griffith raced to a second-place finish in mile, clocking 4:02.19 behind Oregon’s Cooper Teare (4:00.21) with Oklahoma State’s Juan Diego Castro (4:03.25) third.

The Razorback 4×400 relay team ran 3:09.16 for third place and the squad consisted of Travean Caldwell (48.15), Jeremy Farr (46.25), James Milholen (47.31) and Nick Hilson (47.46). Texas won the race in 3:07.85, securing the team title with 79 points, while Florida was second in 3:08.07 with Oregon fourth at 3:11.35.

Arkansas placed third in team scoring with 73 points behind No. 4 Texas and No. 17 Oregon (73) while No. 7 Florida (72) finished fourth and No. 2 LSU (70) was sixth.

Four Razorbacks placed 5-6-7-8 in the Invitational 400m with a crew that included Farr (47.21), Hunter Woodhall (47.44), Milholen (47.86) and Lesley Mahlakoane (47.93).

Over 3,000m the Arkansas tandem of Emmanuel Cheboson and Matt Young placed fifth and sixth while Gilbert Boit served as the pacer in the early stages of the race.

Cheboson ran 8:02.84 while Young finished in 8:03.05.

After his 1,200m carry on the distance medley relay, Kieran Taylor raced at 800m and posted a 1:50.99 for fifth.

Kristoffer Hari, of Denmark, equaled his national record in the prelims of the 60m with a 6.65, but did not race in the final. Roman Turner finished seventh in the final in 6.82.

Information from Razorback Sports Communications is included in this story.

Chaney’s 11 rebounds big difference for Hogs’ big road win at Alabama

Andy Hodges
-
0
Chaney’s 11 rebounds big difference for Hogs’ big road win at Alabama

Mason Jones and Jimmy Whitt, Jr., combined for 56 points and will get the biggest headlines, but Reggie Chaney made a difference in an 82-78 win over Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Saturday night.

Chaney’s effort was eye-catching because he got more rebounds (11) than points (8).

“We’ve kind of been waiting on that,” Eric Musselman said later. “That’s a big job inside that we need somebody to step up and he did that tonight.”

Chaney had five offensive rebounds and six defensive boards.

“Reggie was phenomenal,” Musselman said.

After a loss to South Carolina at Bud Walton Arena on Wednesday night, the Razorbacks came out of the gate on the road and promptly got down 12-0.

At that point a lot of fans were probably throwing their hands up in disgust. Then the Crimson Tide started turning the ball over and the Hogs didn’t give up.

“It was not an easy week,” Musselman said. “We kind of had to fight through some adversity, but a really really gutty performance by our guys.”

For a team that was never going to dominate a game with rebounding, the win over Alabama worked out because the Hogs won the turnover battle and scored 27 points off the Tide’s 17.

“When you look at turnover points, 27 is a huge number,” Musselman said.

In the second half, though, Arkansas took a lead on a 3-pointer by Jalen Harris with 2:34 to play at 74-69 and from there it was a matter of hitting enough free throws under Musselman’s bleed-the-clock style near the end.

Jones led all scorers with 30 points and Whitt added 26.

“We played with great pace, scoring 46 points,” Musselman said of the second half. “We just did a phenomenal job of getting defensive stops when we needed to. You know, it’s never easy to win on the road.”

The Hogs, now 16-5 on the season and 4-4 in the SEC, come back home with a big test against 17th-ranked Auburn on Tuesday night.

The game will tip-off at 6 p.m. and you can hear the game online at HitThatLine.com and on the radio at ESPN Arkansas 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home.

Razorbacks upset Baylor on Saturday afternoon in first of two matches

ESPN Arkansas News Services
-
0
Razorbacks upset Baylor on Saturday afternoon in first of two matches

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas upset fifth-ranked Baylor on Saturday afternoon at the Dills Indoor Tennis Center, 4-3, for the best win over a ranked squad since the Hogs downed No. 7 Texas A&M in 2016.

It’s also the first top-five win for Arkansas in recorded history since 2003.

After dropping the doubles point, Arkansas secured four singles wins to pickup the upset victory.

Josh Howard-Tripp clinched the upset win in his first singles match of the spring. After breezing through the first set, 6-3, Howard-Tripp dropped the next nine sets and found himself trailing 0-3 in the third set.

The junior fought back and earned the clincher in the tiebreak.

Freshman Melvin Manuel made quick work of Rahul Dhokia at the No. 5 spot as he won in straight-sets, 6-3, 6-1.

The rookie now has two singles wins in a Razorback uniform and is 3-1 in doubles play with Jose Dominguez Alonso.

Nico Rousset tied the two teams up at 2-2 with another two-setter over Finn Bass on court four. Junior Alex Reco now holds a perfect record in singles play with a comeback win, 5-7, 6-1, 6-4, over Matias Soto.

The Razorbacks will follow up today’s upset win with another match against Omaha tonight. First serve is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. Free pizza and Pepsi products will be available.

Information from Razorback Sports Communications is included in this story.

Listen, watch Razorbacks’ road matchup with Crimson Tide today

ESPN Arkansas News Services
-
0
Listen, watch Razorbacks’ road matchup with Crimson Tide today

• Who: Arkansas Razorback (15-5, 3-4 SEC) at Alabama Crimson Tide (12-8, 4-3 SEC)
• What: Razorbacks have won five straight in the series with Alabama
• When: Saturday, Feb. 1,  5 p.m. with pregame starting at 4:30 p.m.
• Where: Tuscaloosa, Ala. – Coleman Coliseum
• TV: SEC Network (Kevin Fitzgerald and Dane Bradshaw)
• Watch the ESPN-SEC Network online CLICK HERE
• Radio: ESPN Arkansas 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home (Chuck Barrett and Matt Zimmerman)
• Online: You can listen to the game at HitThatLine.com CLICK HERE

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas will play three of its next four games on the road, starting with the game at Alabama today.

Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN Arkansas 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home in addition to online at HitThatLine.com CLICK HERE.

Against Alabama

• This will be the 63rd meeting between Arkansas and Alabama. The Razorbacks own a 34-28 advantage in the series, including a 28-24 cushion in games since Arkansas joined the SEC.

• The Razorbacks have won five straight in the series and 6-of-the-last-7. However, the Crimson Tide owns a 20-7 advantage in games played in Tuscaloosa.

Last year:

• Daniel Gafford, who had a double-double in the first half and finished with 29 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Razorbacks to an 82-70 win over Alabama in the teams’ 2018-19 regular-season finale.

• Isaiah Joe finished with 15 points, had a career-high six steals and tied a career-high with six rebounds.

• The game was tight throughout the first half. The largest lead was five points by Arkansas, 36-31, which was the halftime score. Overall, the first half featured six ties and second lead changes.

• The Crimson Tide got as close as seven points (56-49) with 7:45 left to play. Desi Sill answered with a 3-pointer to go up 10. Alabama hung around until Joe sank two free throws and converted a 4-point play to put the game out of reach.

Jones takes over as SEC’s scoring leader

• Mason Jones scored an SEC career-high 34 points — and added a career-high 12 rebounds — on Wednesday versus South Carolina to push him to the top of the SEC scoring list at 19.2 ppg.

• Arkansas has never had a player lead the SEC in scoring at season’s end.

• Jones also leads the team in rebounding, assists and steals. In fact, he is THE ONLY PLAYER IN THE SEC to rank among the top 20 in scoring (1st) and rebounds (14th) while ranking among the top 12 in steals (5th) and assists (11th).

Arkansas has best scoring trio in the SEC

Arkansas is the only team in the SEC to feature:

• Two players in the league’s top 5 for scoring for the season
• Jones (1st / 19.2) and Isaiah Joe (5th / 16.8)
• Three players in the league’s top 18 for scoring for the season with Jones (1st / 19.2), Joe (5th / 16.8) and Jimmy Whitt Jr. (10th / 14.9)

In SEC games, Arkansas is the only team in the league to feature:

• Three players in the league’s top 10 for scoring with Jones (4th / 18.3), Whitt (8th / 16.6), Joe (10th / 15.7)

Taking care of the ball in SEC play

• Since SEC play began, Arkansas has taken care of the ball and shared the ball better than the non-conference season. The Hogs have 73 assists and a league-low 51 turnovers in league play.

• In SEC play, Arkansas leads the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.2).

• In SEC play, Arkansas is the only team to average single-digit turnovers (9.6/gm) while forcing the 2nd most turnovers (14.7/gm).

• In SEC play, Arkansas leads the league in turnover margin (+5.1). The next closest is Missouri at +2.0.

Information from Razorback Sports Communications is included in this story.

Hambrick leads Gymbacks past Missouri; first SEC win on road since ’17

ESPN Arkansas News Services
-
0
Hambrick leads Gymbacks past Missouri; first SEC win on road since ’17

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Sophomore Kennedy Hambrick led the Arkansas gymnastics team to its first road SEC win since Feb. 2017.

With an all-around score of 39.275, Hambrick scored team-highs on the bars, vault, and floor – tying her career-high 9.925 on the floor to help lead Arkansas to the victory.

Hambrick’s all-around score earned her the all-around title, her first of the 2020 season and second of her career. Freshman Kiara Gianfagna and senior Jessica Yamzon also competed all-around, finishing third and fourth among those competitors.

Rotation 1 | Bars
Hambrick scored a team-high 9.800 for Arkansas in the five slot, executing her jaegar to immediate overshoot beautifully. The Razorbacks finished the first rotation with a 48.850, trailing Missouri after their 49.175 performance on the vault.

Rotation 2 | Vault
A strong vault performance from Hambrick anchored the Razorbacks again as Arkansas closed out the second rotation with a team score of 48.800. A couple of Missouri miscues would give the Gymbacks the lead midway through the meet, 97.650-97.350.

Rotation 3 | Floor
Arkansas shined on the floor as usual and Hambrick continued her successful night as she flaunted her power and nailed her roundoff back-handspring double-pike last pass. Hambrick tied her career high with a 9.925 on the floor and Arkansas pushed their lead to 147.050 – 145.700 with a 49.400 in the event. Redshirt-freshman Bailey Lovett scored a 9.900, making it her third routine of 9.900 or better this season.

Rotation 4 | Beam
Junior Sophia Carter had a great night on the beam for the Gymbacks, setting a season-high with a score of 9.925 on the apparatus and taking home the beam title. Carter’s back handspring layout step-out wowed the judges and helped Arkansas to its 48.975 team score and 196.025 all-around. The beam title is the first for Carter in 2020, but the eighth of her career.

Up Next | Friday vs. Georgia at Barnhill Arena at 7 p.m.

Information from Razorback Sports Communications is included in this story.

Career-best long jump gets runner-up spot for Nairn at Razorback Invitational

ESPN Arkansas News Services
-
0
Career-best long jump gets runner-up spot for Nairn at Razorback Invitational

FAYETTEVILLE — A career-best long jump of 26-0¾ (7.94) earned runner-up honors for Laquan Nairn during the first day of the Razorback Invitational while the Arkansas distance medley relay placed third with a time of 9:40.15.

Nairn only attempted a pair of jumps since he will return to contest the triple jump on Saturday as he finished in second place behind a 26-6 ½ (8.09) effort by LSU’s Rayvon Grey.

The opening round jump of 26-0 ¾ by Nairn improved his previous indoor best of 25-10 (7.87) set in 2018.

“I was really pleased with Laquan in the long jump,” said Arkansas men’s coach Chris Bucknam. “He put a big one out there early and is going to triple jump tomorrow, so he limited his attempts today. I’m just really, really happy for him in watching him start to put everything together.”

The Razorback distance medley relay included a foursome that was racing together for the first time.

A 9:40.15 effort was produced by Kieran Taylor (2:57.32), Jalen Brown (46.04), Hunter Woodhall (1:50.61) and Cameron Griffith (4:06.18).

They finished behind Oregon’s record run as well as a 9:36.16 by Texas, while defeating Florida (9:44.97) and Stanford (9:47.05).

“I think we have a really good team,” said Bucknam. “It’s just going to take some time to develop. We still have potential to qualify in this event and be among the 12 teams who will race in national championships.

“That was Cameron’s first race on the anchor, it was Hunter’s first race at 800m really, and he’s only done that in practice and produced a 1:50, which was outstanding. Jalen gave us a great leg with a 46 flat and KT at the front did a good job running his first 1,200m.”

A crowd of 1,488 at the Randal Tyson Indoor Track Center was treated to a collegiate record as Oregon clocked 9:24.52 to break the previous mark of 9:25.97 set by Texas in this same venue in 2008.

“Hats off to Oregon, what a great run they had,” noted Bucknam. “To be out in front and to run that fast by yourselves shows not only a lot of talent, but a lot of guts. I’m glad they ran that well, since we wanted fast times. Unfortunately, it made everyone else look slow.”

Through the first day of the heptathlon, Markus Ballengee led an Arkansas foursome in the event scoring 3,022 points and is currently in ninth place among a field of 21.

The other three Razorbacks in the heptathlon included Daniel Spejcher (2,890), Etamar Bhastekar (2,825) and Tyler Brendel (2,715).

Arkansas alum Andrew Erwin cleared 18-1 (5.51) in an Olympic development pole vault.

Action in the Razorback Invitational continues on Saturday, starting at 10:40 a.m. with the continuation of the heptathlon.

Featured events in the 1-4 p.m. time frame will be shown on SEC Network+.

Information from Razorback Sports Communications is included in this story.

1...1,2071,2081,209...1,757Page 1,208 of 1,757

HitThatLine.com is the website for ESPN Arkansas. Listen at 99.5 in Fayetteville, 95.3 FM in Fort Smith and the River Valley, 96.3 FM in Hot Springs and 104.3 FM in Harrison.

© Copyright 2017-25 by Pearson Broadcasting. All rights reserved.