Higginbottom scores 26 in Arkansas' loss to No. 16 Tennessee
FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas (8-11, 1-3 SEC) kept the pace with No. 16 Tennessee (14-2, 2-2 SEC) to start the game, but the Lady Vols stretched their lead to as many as 33 to down the Hogs, 93-63, in Bud Walton Arena.
Senior guard Izzy Higginbottom, the SEC’s leading scorer, notched her 10th game with at least 25 points and scored a game high 26 points in the loss.
Tennessee opened the game with a three pointer by Zee Spearman but Arkansas had the answer thanks to Kiki Smith’s three to get the Hogs on the board. The two teams traded threes once again before the Razorbacks got out to a 11-8 lead, sealed by two free throws from Cristina Sánchez Cerqueira. The Lady Vols used an 8-0 run to take a 16-11 lead into the first quarter media timeout.
Tennessee held onto its lead for the remainder of the game and grew it to as much as 33 late in the fourth quarter. The visitors, who play an agressive style of play under first-year head coach Kim Caldwell, scored 28 of their points after 22 Arkansas turnovers. The Lady Vols also dominated in the pain and outscored the Hogs, 40-22 and won the boards, 43-26.
The Razorbacks only had two players in double figures, Higginbottom (26 points) and Carly Keats (11 points).
Up Next
Arkansas will return to the floor next Sunday, Jan. 19, to face No. 18 Alabama (15-2, 2-1 SEC) for this year’s We Back Pat game. The contest will be televised live on SEC Network with Tiffany Greene (play-by-play) and Bria Goss (analyst) on the call.
For more information on Arkansas women’s basketball, follow @RazorbackWBB on social media.