Preview – Arkansas Continues Homestand, Ready for Tulsa

kylie magar November 13, 2022

FAYETTEVILLE – Two 2-0 programs will go head-to-head on Monday night, as the Arkansas women’s basketball team is set to host Tulsa at 7 p.m. at Bud Walton Arena. The Razorbacks will face off against the Golden Hurricane for the first time since 2019 in a series that is 26 games rich.

GAME INFORMATION
Date: Monday, Nov. 14
Time: 7 p.m.
Opponent: Tulsa
Location: Bud Walton Arena
Promotions: Veterans Day recognition, first 500 fans get a free t-shirt
Watch: SEC Network+
Listen: Razorback Sports Network from Learfield
Tickets: Click HERE
Arkansas Game Notes
Tulsa Game Notes
Live Stats

STORYLINES

Arkansas is looking to start the season 3-0 for the second time in the last three years
The Arkansas vs. Tulsa series is back after a three-year hiatus. Head Coach Mike Neighbors last beat the Golden Hurricane, 91-41, on Dec. 11, 2019
Tulsa’s head coach Angie Nelp is familiar with Fayetteville, having been a graduate assistant for the women’s basketball program during the 2007-08 season
Arkansas extended its streak of home openers won to 39 games after defeating Central Arkansas, 72-34 on Friday
Friday game’s attendance was marked as 7,410, which goes down as the 15th largest home crowd in program history. The game served as the Elementary Day with over 4,000 kids packing the stands. The Elementary Game was the first the program has been able to host since 2019
After two games, Erynn Barnum leads the way in points and rebounds, averaging a double-double with 17.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game
Samara Spencer has team’s most seven assists and Makayla Daniels has the most steals with five in the first two contests
Arkansas’ defense holds opponents to 42.0 points per game, which leads the league and is the 13th best in the country. Holding opponents to a 25.7 field goal percentage is the fourth best in the SEC and 17th best in the country
The team also leads the SEC in least turnovers per game (11.5) and 3-point defense (13.9)
Neighbors is approaching big milestones in his coaching career, as he is at 98 career wins at Arkansas and 196 overall in his DI head coaching career. His win total is No. 1 among head coaches with 10 years of experience
With Neighbors in charge, the Hogs are coming off back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances (should be back-to-back-to-back had the COVID-19 pandemic have not cancelled the 2020 tournament) and four consecutive winning seasons
The Razorbacks were projected to finish fourth in the SEC Preseason Media Poll and tied for fifth in the SEC Preseason Coaches Poll. Daniels represents Arkansas on the Preseason Second Team (Coaches poll)

SCOUTING TULSA

Tulsa is 2-0 going into Monday’s game, outscoring opponents 78.0 to 38.5
After two games, three Tulsa players are averaging double digits in scoring. Temira Poindexter leads the way with 17.5 points per game
Katelyn Levings pulls down a team’s most boards per game with a 6.5 average
Tulsa was picked to finish fourth in the American Athletic Conference, as voted by the league’s head coaches
The Golden Hurricane found three players on the American Preseason All-Conference Team. Poindexter was a First Team choice, while Maddie Bittle and Maya Mayberry were Second Team selections
In Nelp’s first year at the helm, as well as first year as a head coach, she led the Golden Hurricane to a 17-11 record, which was sparked by a 10-game winning streak to begin the year
Nelp is in her second season as a head coach and has done a great job leading the Golden Hurricane in just two years, boasting a 19-11 overall record
The team played in the WNIT, beating North Texas 75-62, but falling to Wyoming, 97-90
Poindexter is the leading returning scorer from last season, having averaged 12.3 PPG along with 4.6 rebounds and 52 blocks
Mayberry (12.2 PPG) and Bittle (10.9 PPG) also averaged double digits last season

HISTORY AGAINST THE GOLDEN HURRICANE

Arkansas is 23-3 in the all-time series that dates to the program’s first season in 1977
The Razorbacks have a four-game winning streak on the Golden Hurricane, as well as have won eight of the last nine matchups
Neighbors is 2-0 against Tulsa during his time on the Hill
The last time Arkansas played Tulsa was on Dec. 11, 2019, when the Razorbacks rolled to a 91-41 victory in Fayetteville. Daniels, Barnum and Avery Hughes all played in that game. Barnum came off the bench to earn a double-double of 14 points/12 rebounds, Daniels tallied six points in the start and Hughes logged five points

LAST TIME OUT

The Razorbacks cruised to a 72-34 victory in its home opener against Central Arkansas, holding the Sugar Bears to 21.8 percent shooting from the field (12-55), 10.5 percent from the 3-point line (2-19) and three assists
The game also served as Elementary Day, the first for the program since 2019. Arkansas’ crowd of 7,410 cracked the top 15 in the home attendance record books
Barnum delivered once again, finishing shy of a double-double with a career-high 19 points along with nine rebounds and three blocks. She also was 9-of-9 from the free throw line, which showed a mark of improvement from her 3-of-13 night from the charity stripe at UAPB
Daniels logged 14 points with four assists and four steals
Maryam Dauda came off the bench, shooting 4-of-6 from the field for 10 points, five rebounds and a block
Rylee Langerman registered nine points and four rebounds off the bench, while Chrissy Carr was just shy of a double-double with eight points and eight rebounds

UPCOMING

Arkansas will finish its three-game homestand by hosting Kent State on Thursday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. at Bud Walton Arena. That game will be streamed on SEC Network+.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about Arkansas Women’s Basketball, follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @RazorbackWBB and on Facebook at Facebook.com/RazorbackWBB. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel, “Kickin’ It In The Neighborhood” for an inside look at the Razorback women’s basketball program and check out The Neighborhood podcasts at CoachNeighbors.com.