Hogs Start 5-0 with Win Over UCA

FAYETTEVILLE – The Arkansas women’s basketball team (5-0) took down Central Arkansas (2-2), 81-67, on the team’s Native American Heritage Appreciation Month game. Arkansas’ win elevated the Hogs to 5-0, marking the third time in Mike Neighbors’ career in Fayetteville his team has started a season with five straight wins. That also ties a school record (with Tom Collen and Gary Blair). Arkansas earned the win behind a balanced scoring attack, as all five starters reached double digits in scoring led by Saylor Poffenbarger and Taliah Scott’s 17 a piece.

Maryam Dauda wasted no time for the Hogs, getting Arkansas on the scoreboard with a layup on their first possession, but UCA responded with a layup off their own off a miss.  Poffenbarger’s 3-pointer got a 6-0 run started for Arkansas with Scott keeping it going with an and-1. A second 3-pointer by Poffenbarger followed by a Scott jumper extended the Hogs’ run to 13-2 in nearly three minutes, forcing UCA to take a timeout. Arkansas led 17-4 with 5:40 left in the first quarter. UCA broke a three-minute scoring drought with a triple and followed that up with another, while Arkansas fell in a 3.5-minute scoring drought of its own. The Hogs’ drought was snapped after Scott knocked down a jumper. Arkansas had the 22-12 edge after one quarter.

Samara Spencer sparked a 6-0 run for the Hogs with an aggressive take to the basket for a layup. With the Hogs up 28-12 1:47 into the second quarter, UCA called a timeout. Arkansas went in a drought from the field, going 0-for-4 in a stretch, but Spencer knocked down a triple and Makayla Daniels followed with a layup following a forced turnover by Arkansas. UCA started to heat up from beyond the arc with back-to-back 3-pointers, but Dauda answered with back-to-back triples of her own, as Arkansas extended its lead to 20 for the Hogs’ largest lead of the night, 41-21, with less than three left in the quarter. UCA then cruised on a 12-0 run, needing just over one minute to do so, but Arkansas was still up front, 41-33, at the half.

Spencer started things for the Hogs with a triple, but UCA followed with an and-1. Scott nailed another jumper, but UCA had an answer with a 3-pointer. After two free throws by Spencer, the Hogs led 52-41 at the media timeout. The Hogs kept a 7-0 run continuing, but UCA took itself out of the drought with a reverse layup. Arkansas fell in a drought for a little over two minutes until Dauda found Poffenbarger under the basket for a tough layup. Poffenbarger then drained her third 3-pointer of the night, as Arkansas went into the final quarter ahead, 62-43.

UCA began the final quarter’s scoring with a tough jumper, which began a 7-2 run for the Sugar Bears. Arkansas went 0-for-4 from the field until Scott nailed a jumper. The Sugar Bears had an answer with a triple off a second-chance opportunity, and then called a timeout, as Arkansas was ahead 68-55 with 6:41 left in the game. Arkansas went 3-of-3 from the field, including from Sasha Goforth who got the basket and foul. At the media timeout taken a 3:42, the Hogs led, 78-60. UCA went on a 4-0 run out of the media break and then Poffenbarger got a layup off a miss. Arkansas closed out the game by holding the Sugar Bears to zero field goals in the final three minutes, winning 81-67 on Native American Appreciation Month game.