Last Second Heroics Seal Win
BOX SCORE | PHOTO GALLERY | HIGHLIGHTS | POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – A 6-0 run in the final minutes of the fourth quarter gave the University of Arkansas women’s basketball team its second consecutive Southeastern Conference win with a 59-56 victory over Vanderbilt on Thursday night in Bud Walton Arena.
Arkansas (13-6, 2-4 SEC) trailed the Commodores (10-9, 0-6 SEC) by one, 56-55, after senior Alecia Cooley hit a layup with 2:24 to go in the game. Vanderbilt drove the length of the floor and missed a basket, fouling on the rebound to send sophomore Malica Monk to the line.
Monk hit one of the bonus shots to tie the game at 56-all. It was the ninth tie of the back-and-fourth contest. One minute and 17 seconds wound off the clock with neither team able to pull ahead until Monk was fouled again with 11 seconds to play.
Monk repeated with one free throw giving Arkansas the 57-56 lead. It was the 10th and final lead change of the game.
The Commodores rebounded the second bonus shot and quickly called a timeout which advanced the ball to their end of the court. After the break, Vanderbilt triggered the inbound play but threw the ball into the middle of the court where senior Jessica Jackson tied it up. The possession arrow favored Arkansas and it was Razorback ball with five seconds to play.
Vanderbilt fouled Arkansas and junior Devin Cosper sank both free throws for the Razorback win.
Freshman Jailyn Mason paced all scorers with 17 points. Cosper added 11 and Keiryn Swenson and Monk had eight each in the win.
Key Run: 6-0
The Razorbacks finished the game on a 6-0 run holding Vanderbilt without a basket for the final 2:58 of the contest. Cooley, Monk and Cosper accounted for the points while the defense forced two Commodore turnovers and two missed jumpers. Vanderbilt fouled Arkansas four times in the final minutes and the Razorbacks grabbed three rebounds and had one block down the stretch.
Key Stat: 0-6/5-15
The Razorbacks held Vanderbilt to just five made three-pointers and no treys in the second half. Vanderbilt averages 7.3 made threes per game and shoots 40.5% from beyond the arc. The Commodores rank first in the SEC in makes and are third in the nation in three-point field goal percentage.
Notable
• Arkansas starters: Malica Monk, Keiryn Swenson, Jailyn Mason, Devin Cosper, Alecia Cooley
• Seven of the 10 Razorbacks scored in the first quarter; Nine of 10 players scored in the game.
• Arkansas led 34-32 at the half. The Razorbacks are 11-2 this year and 35-10 under head coach Jimmy Dykes when they lead at the break.
• Jailyn Mason’ 17 points is two shy of her career-best. Mason has scored in double figures in seven games this year including two games in a row (Alabama, Vanderbilt).
• Arkansas has won the rebounding battle in 14 of 19 games this season, going 12-2 in those contests. They outrebounded Vanderbilt 36-33 in the game.
• Arkansas made 10 free throws. It is the ninth consecutive game with 10 or more makes.
Up Next
The Razorbacks remain at home hosting Missouri on Monday at 6 p.m. The remaining home games include Georgia (Feb. 2), No. 5 South Carolina (Feb. 5), No. 24 Kentucky (Feb. 16) and Auburn (Feb. 26).
To order tickets for the 2016-17 season, call the Razorback Ticket Center at 800-982-HOGS (4647) or 479-575-5151.
For more information on Arkansas women’s basketball, follow @RazorbackWBB on Twitter.
