Cinderella Hogs Still Dancing
GREENVILLE, S.C. – A University of Arkansas women’s basketball team known for its offensive style used a 6:30 stretch of defense to knock off No. 15 Texas A&M, 58-51, to move into the program’s first-ever Southeastern Conference Tournament final in Greenville, S.C.
The Razorbacks (20-13) held the Aggies (24-7) scoreless for the final 6:30, outscoring Texas A&M 17-0 while forcing nine turnovers in the fourth quarter.
Chelsea Dungee again led the team in scoring with 17 points while Jailyn Mason dropped in 15 points and Alexis Tolefree added 11 points in the win.
The Razorbacks face No. 5 Mississippi State (29-2) in the SEC Championship game Sunday at 1 p.m. on ESPN2.
Arkansas got out to a slow start, spotting Texas A&M a 17-2 lead in the first quarter. The Razorbacks put together a 9-2 run to close the frame but trailed by eight points after the first stanza.
The Aggies again jumped out strong in the second period leading by as many as 16 points before taking an eight-point lead into halftime. But Arkansas wasn’t worried. An eight-point third period by Dungee and three 3-point field goals from Tolefree and Mason cut the deficit to seven points with 10 minutes to play.
The final frame opened with a 6-5 Aggie advantage giving them a 10-point 51-44 lead. And then Raven Northcross-Baker hit a 3. From that point on, it was all Arkansas as they forced nine turnovers and scored 17 points for the upset victory.
Notes
•First ever appearance in SEC Tournament final
•Highest seed to ever make a SEC Tournament final
•Trailed by as much as 16 points in the game (3:03 in the second quarter)
•Took first lead with 3:03 left in the game on a pair of Jailyn Mason free throws (52-51)
•Held Texas A&M scoreless over the last 6:30 of the game
•Went on a 17-0 run over the final 6:15 of the game
•Aggies only had two field goal makes in the final 14 minutes of the game
•First free throw attempt came with 7:53 remaining in the game. Finished 8-of-10 from the free throw line
•After going 3-of-14 from behind the arc in the first half, knocked down 7-of-14 threes in the second half including going 4-of-7 in the fourth quarter
•Chelsea Dungee finished the game with a team-high 17 points including going 3-of-6 from behind the three-point arc
•Has 79 points over the first three games of the tournament
•SEC Tournament record for points in a single tournament is 90 by Shelia Collins (Tennessee in 1985)
•Razorbacks forced 21 turnovers against the Aggies
•Forced 10-plus turnovers against their opponents in 32 out of 33 games this year
•Forced more turnovers against the Aggies (35) than any other team this year
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