Barnum Earns All-SEC Honors, Poffenbarger Named to All-Freshman Team
FAYETTEVILLE – Two student-athletes on the Arkansas women’s basketball team have been honored by the Southeastern Conference for postseason honors. Erynn Barnum was named to the All-SEC Second Team and Saylor Poffenbarger was tabbed to the All-Freshman Team, as announced by the league Tuesday, the eve of the 2023 SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament.
For the fifth consecutive year, the Razorbacks have an SEC All-Conference honoree. Barnum has been playing the lights out all season and known nationally for being one of the most improved players. The Katrina McClain Midseason Top 10 honoree leads the team in scoring (16.3 PPG) and is tied for the most rebounds with Poffenbarger (6.6 RPG), while doubling her scoring average and surpassing career-highs in evert season total statistical category.
One of the top scorers in the SEC, Barnum has led the league in field goal percentage for almost the entire season, which is also top 20 in the country. Before this season, Barnum never had earned a 20-point game, but is going into postseason play having delivered nine this year. Her most impressive performance this season was her career-high 37 points against Ole Miss, which is the seventh most points scored by a Razorback in a single game. She has also registered two double-doubles this season, highlighted by 21 points and 11 rebounds in the win at Missouri.
Poffenbarger has started in all 31 games this season and has made a huge impact on the team on offense and defense. The five-time SEC Freshman of the Week, which is a school record and a league’s most, averages 8.7 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Her rebound average is tied for a team’s most, while her 35 blocks paces the team. Poffenbarger’s 180 defensive rebounds is the second most in a single season by a Razorback, just 11 off from the record. A key performance by Poffenbarger was at Missouri, in which she logged a career-high 24 points with six rebounds.
One of the best parts of Poffenbarger’s game has been her defense against the opposing team’s best scorer. Twice this season, Poffenbarger has given Missouri’s leading scorer, Hayley Frank, a hard time find to find anything offensively, while also holding one of the nation’s leading scorers in Gabby Gregory from Kansas State to just five points in Arkansas’ win against the No. 25 Wildcats. Poffenbarger also has 71 assists, which is the third most on the team.
The Razorbacks are set to play in the SEC Tournament on Thursday, as eighth-seed Arkansas will play ninth-seed Missouri at 11 a.m. CT on SEC Network. This year’s tournament will take place at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.
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