Higginbottom Scores 32 in Arkansas' Loss to Missouri
FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas women’s basketball (9-21, 2-13 SEC) dropped a close game to Missouri (14-16, 3-12 SEC), 75-73, in the final home game of the season.
Senior guard Izzy Higginbottom scored 32 points, picked up her fifth SEC game with 30-plus and moved into second place on the program’s single-season scoring leaderboard.
The Hogs and Tigers swapped leads 14 times and neither team led by more than eight points.
How it Happened
Both teams traded buckets in the first quarter, which ended in Arkansas’ favor, 21-20. Higginbottom hit a half court shot at the buzzer, but after review the make was waved off after the ball was determined to be in her hands after the clock expired.
The Hogs extended their lead by four points before halftime and outscored Missouri 14-11, with Higginbottom and Carly Keats each scoring seven points. Higginbottom entered double figures for the 26th game this season and led Arkansas with 14 points at the half.
The Tigers opened the third quarter with a 6-0 run to get their biggest lead of the game, 41-35. A three from Kiki Smith, her first points of the game, and a three-point play from Higginbottom pulled the Hogs ahead 47-46. Arkansas finished the quarter 3-3 from the field and up by one, 49-48.
Neither team led by more than three points in the fourth quarter which featured nine lead changes. Things got really close with under 30 seconds to play when Mizzou went 2-2 from the line to tie the game at 72.
On the other end of the floor, freshman Phoenix Stotijn was fouled away from the basket and went 1-2 to give the Hogs a 73-72 lead. Missouri called a timeout to advance the ball to mid-court and Smith fouled Ashton Judd. Judd made her first and missed the second with Cristina Sanchez Cerquiera grabbing the board, her seventh of the game.
The Razorbacks called their final timeout and advanced the ball to mid-court with 6.6 seconds on the clock. Smith controlled the ball until guard Laniah Randle took advantage of a bad pass. Randle raced to Missouri’s basket and laid it in with two seconds left and the visitors led 75-73.
Higginbottom finished with 32 points and nine rebounds, her second most of the season. The Tigers won the boards, 46-38.
Up Next
Arkansas will play its final regular season game on Sunday at Texas A&M.
For more information on Arkansas women’s basketball, follow @RazorbackWBB on social media.
