Late Rally Falls Short
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – University of Arkansas sophomore Malica Monk dropped in 17 points and senior Jessica Jackson added 12 but it was not enough for the Razorbacks as they fell, 59-51, to No. 4 Mississippi State in Bud Walton Arena on Thursday.
Arkansas (11-4, 0-2 SEC) overcame scoreless stretches and a distinct size disadvantage to erase a 14-point Bulldog (15-0, 2-0 SEC) lead and come within two points late in the fourth quarter.
Monk played 38 minutes scoring 17 points while going 8-for-9 from the line. Jackson was scoreless in the first half but heated up to start the third period finishing with double digits for the 15th consecutive game.
Down four with 1:19 to play, Mississippi State slowed the pace down, trying to run out the clock. Arkansas was forced to foul and the Bulldogs hit four consecutive foul shots to pull away as time ran out.
Key Run: 10-3
A 10-3 run in the fourth quarter pulled the Razorbacks within two of the Bulldogs, 51-49, with just over four minutes to play. Arkansas held Mississippi State scoreless for 4:23 to start the period – a run that was book-ended by three-pointers from Blair Schaefer. The game was close from that point on.
Key Stat: 18
Arkansas forced 18 Bulldog turnovers scoring 15 points off those miscues. It is only the second time this year Mississippi State has lost the turnover battle.
Key Stat II: 59
Arkansas held the No. 4 team in the country to just 59 points – the second-lowest scoring output by the Bulldogs this year.
Notable
• Arkansas is 8-18 in SEC home openers since joining the SEC for the 1991-92 season. That mark includes a 1-2 record under head coach Jimmy Dykes.
• Arkansas is 0-2 in SEC home openers against Mississippi State.
• Arkansas is 27-12 in home games under head coach Jimmy Dykes. That mark includes an 8-2 record this season and a 10-7 record in conference home games.
• Arkansas is 18-18 all-time against Mississippi State.
• Jessica Jackson has scored in double figures in all 15 games this season and has led the team in scoring in 10 of 15 games this season. She leads the team, averaging 17.2 points per game.
• Arkansas has had five different players score in double figures in the first half of games this season and Malica Monk did it for the second time this year with 10 points in the first 20 minutes versus Mississippi State.
Quotable – From Coach Jimmy Dykes
“I’m very, very proud of how hard we fought, and how hard we competed against the No. 4 team in the country. We had a really strong will to win in the game. We got it down to a two-point game with about three minutes to go and just couldn’t quite get over the hump.”
Quotable – From Coach Jimmy Dykes
“I thought we missed some shots tonight that we typically make. We’re a good-shooting basketball team and tonight they didn’t go down for us at key times.”
Up Next
Arkansas remains at home hosting LSU on Sunday, Jan. 8.To order tickets for the 2016-17 season, click here or 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.
