Ford's 17 leads Razorbacks

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – University of Arkansas senior Charity Ford paced the Razorbacks with 17 points in 27 minutes leading the Razorbacks to an exhibition win over Northeastern State in Bud Walton Arena Wednesday. Ford and the Razorbacks picked up a 55-48 win in the lone exhibition contest of the season. "I think things went well overall," Ford said. "It was a chance to come together as a team. We wanted to press and we got to work on that. It was very important to get the younger players some experience and this game was good for that." Arkansas put together a solid effort in the exhibition contest. In addition to Ford’s 17 points, freshman Dominique Robinson added 10. Sophomore Ashley Daniels grabbed 10 rebounds and newcomer Sarah Watkins added six boards in the win. "This was a pretty good start for us," Arkansas head coach Tom Collen said. "At times we were a little ragged, especially on offense but I saw a lot of good things tonight." The first half was balanced with 10 of 11 players scoring in the opening frame giving Arkansas an eight-point advantage at the break. The game was even through the first 10 minutes of play before Arkansas exploded for a 13-0 run taking a 24-12 advantage at the 8:22 mark in the first frame. "We did some good things during the run," Collen said. "I thought we played with good intensity and energy at that point." Arkansas stretched the lead to a game-high 14 points before allowing a RiverHawk rally near the end of the first half. The RiverHawks doubled their efforts to start the second half and Arkansas responded with better defensive energy as the game wore on. NSU erased their halftime deficit and closed within three, 36-33, but a pair of free throws from Robinson followed by a layup opened the Arkansas advantage to seven. The Razorback lead would grow to 11 late in the game as Ford’s offensive drives sealed the Arkansas win. "Charity played well tonight," Collen said. "She looked very fluid and confident. She was our energizer out there. Quistelle Williams also played well. She has all the talent in the world and is a very rhythmic player who has a lot of confidence. I’m pretty happy with our players overall." Arkansas finished the contest shooting 38.3 percent with an 18-for-47 night. The Razorbacks out-rebounded NSU, 37-34, grabbed 10 steals and had four blocked shots. The Razorbacks open the regular season against Alcorn State Sunday, Nov. 15, in Hot Springs, Ark. Tickets are available for the opener and all Razorback women’s games. Please call the Razorback Ticket Office at 575-HOGS. For more information regarding Razorback women’s basketball or University of Arkansas athletics, please visit ArkansasRazorbacks.com.