Basketball (W)

Preview – Hogs Play at No. 10/9 LSU

kylie magar January 20, 2024

FAYETTEVILLE – The Arkansas women’s basketball team (14-5, 2-2 SEC) will take on the defending NCAA National Champions in No. 10/9 LSU (17-2, 4-1 SEC) on Sunday at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Arkansas and the Tigers will tipoff at 4 p.m. on ESPN.

GAME INFORMATION

Date: Sunday, Jan. 21
Time: 4 p.m.
Opponent: No. 10/9 LSU
Location: Pete Maravich Assembly Center (Baton Rouge, La.)
Watch: ESPN
Listen: Razorback Sports Network from Learfield
Arkansas Game Notes
LSU Game Notes (will be uploaded HERE when available)
Live Stats

STORYLINES

  • Arkansas women’s basketball got back in the winning column with a big-time SEC road win at Alabama, 77-59. The Hogs were down by as many as 11 in the first quarter, but were able to outscore the Crimson Tide 47-27 in the second half
  • In the game at Alabama, Maryam Dauda delivered 10 blocks, which broke a 35-year-old school record previously held by Robyn Irwin in 1988. She also had the first double-double through rebounds and blocks (12 rebounds and 10 blocks) in school history, and with Samara Spencer’s double-double (31 points and 14 rebounds), the two are the first Hogs to have a double-double in the same game since 2017
  • Arkansas is in a three-way tie for fourth in the league with a 2-2 SEC mark
  • Coming off a bye on Thursday, Arkansas will hit the road to take on the defending NCAA National Champions LSU. The Tigers are ranked No. 10 in the AP Poll going into Sunday’s game
  • The Tigers play a tight rotation like the Hogs, and all five starters are averaging double digits in scoring
  • LSU has won 28 straight home games (16 straight home SEC contests), which is tied for the third longest streak in the country (South Carolina leads with 50 straight home wins)
  • Historically, the Hogs are 3-6 against No. 10 teams in the country, as well as 13-46 against teams ranked 6-10
  • Arkansas’ highest ranked win in school history was against LSU in 2003 when the Tigers were ranked No. 2 in the country and the Hogs defeated LSU, 82-72, in Fayetteville
  • The last time Arkansas defeated a reigning NCAA National Champion was Tennessee in 1996-97 (W, 77-75). With no NCAA Tournament in 2020, Arkansas defeated Baylor during the 2020-21 season (W, 83-78), as the Bears were technically still the reigning National Champions
  • Taliah Scott leads the Hogs in scoring with 22.3 points per game and is one of two players in the SEC to average 20.0+ points per game, while also leading the SEC in minutes with 36.3 per game. She is eighth in points per game in the NCAA
  • Saylor Poffenbarger’s presence on the glass has been something to see, as she has established herself as one of the top defensive rebounders in the country. She leads the team and the league in defensive rebounds per game (10.3) and rebounds per game (12.8). Poffenbarger leads the NCAA in defensive boards and is second in rebounds per game. She has pulled down 244 boards in just 19 games, while needing just one more to capture 500 career boards
  • Poffenbarger broke the school record for individual game rebounds with 23 against Florida State. She has had four games with 19+ boards this year, which is the only time an Arkansas player has had that many 19+ rebound games in their career
  • Spencer leads the team with 62 assists. Her 312 career assists is No. 15 on the career list and she is No. 24 on the all-time scoring list with 1,173
  • Dauda has been a big contributor in the post, pacing the team with 45 blocks. Her 10 blocks vs. Alabama are the second most in the NCAA this season
  • Makayla Daniels is an elite defender and leads the team with 36 steals. She is the highest scoring point guard in school history with 1,669 points, which is the seventh most in school history, while holding a program’s most starts and games played records with 141. Daniels was selected on the All-SEC Preseason Second Team, as chosen by the league’s coaches
  • The Hogs lead the league in 3-pointers per game (9.1), which is 16th in the NCAA and 3-point attempts per game (29.7), third in the country

SCOUTING LSU

  • LSU is 17-2 and was on a 16-game winning streak until dropping its first league game at Auburn, 67-62. The Tigers bounced back to defeat Alabama on the road Thursday, 78-58
  • In the SEC Preseason Polls, the Tigers were picked to finish first in both the media and coaches polls
  • The Tigers are coming off winning 2023 NCAA National Championship after defeating Iowa in the title game, 102-85. LSU finished 34-2 and 15-1 in the SEC to round out second in the league
  • LSU had the most picks to the SEC Preseason Team, highlighted by Angel Reece, who was tabbed the SEC Preseason Player of the Year and was on the Preseason First Team by the media and coaches. Reece won all sorts of awards, including the 2023 Sporting News Athlete of the Year, averaging 23.0 points and 15.4 rebounds per game last season
  • Louisville transfer Hailey Van Lith was chosen on the Preseason All-SEC First Team in both polls, coming off averaging 19.7 points per game with 119 total assists for the Cardinals
  • The 2023 SEC Freshman of the Year in Flau’Jae Johnson was picked to the All-SEC Preseason First Team by the media and Second Team by the coaches, logging 11.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game last year. DePaul transfer Aneesah Morrow was chosen on the Preseason Second Team in both polls, averaging 25.7 points and 12.2 rebounds per game with 87 steals last season
  • Reece paces the Tigers with 20.1 points per game and 11.8 rebounds per game
  • Van Lith leads the way with 68 assists and averages 11.1 points per game
  • Morrow has a team’s most 52 steals and 24 blocks, while averaging 18.4 points and 9.8 boards per game
  • Starters Mikaylah Williams and Johnson average 16.2 and 13.2 points per game, a piece
  • Head coach Kim Mulkey is the fastest coach to earn 700 career wins, doing so in just over 800 games. Mulkey has led her teams to seven National Championships, including last season, nine National Coach of the Year titles and nine Hall of Fame inductions

HISTORY AGAINST THE TIGERS

  • LSU has the 35-19 advantage over Arkansas in the all-time series, as Sunday’s game marks the 55th of the series, which is the longest all-time series for Arkansas
  • Arkansas is 3-2 in the last five games of the series and 4-6 in the last 10
  • Head coach Mike Neighbors is 3-4 against LSU
  • Arkansas and LSU faced off twice last season, as the Hogs dropped both games. In the first game at home, Arkansas fell, 69-45. Spencer registered 17 points and Daniels recorded 10 points and six boards in that first game
  • The Hogs came up just short in the second game, dropping a close one, 79-76. Spencer recorded 13 points and six assists and Daniels had 11 points and four steals. Dauda came off the bench to play 13 minutes and logged 11 points, four boards and two blocks

LAST TIME OUT

  • Arkansas came back by being down by 11 in the first quarter to defeat Alabama in Tuscaloosa, 77-59
  • Spencer registered her second career 30-point game, logging a season-high 31 points. She added 14 rebounds, her first 10+ rebound game of her career
  • Dauda followed up a great performance against Mississippi State, finishing just shy of a triple-double with eight points, 12 rebounds and a record-breaking 10 blocks. She added five assists, two steals and did not commit any fouls, while playing all 40 minutes. She became the first Hog to tally a double-double with rebounds and blocks
  • Daniels recorded 16 points, 13 in the second half, with three rebounds in 26 minutes, while battling an illness
  • Just shy of a double-double and one board shy of 500 career rebounds, Poffenbarger recorded nine points and 14 rebounds
  • Karley Johnson played the most valuable minutes of her career, logging 20.5 minutes and tallying three points and two boards
  • Carly Keats finished with seven points and 34.5 minutes played. Jenna Lawrence recorded three points and four boards in 5.5 minutes
  • Arkansas outrebounded Alabama, 52-35, while pulling down a season-high 21 offensive rebounds
  • The Hogs dominated in the paint with 40 points in the paint compared to Alabama’s 24, while logging 22 points off turnovers vs. Alabama’s nine
  • Arkansas logged its 10th straight win in Tuscaloosa, which improved the program’s record vs. Alabama to 27-16 in the all-time series

UPCOMING

Arkansas will be back home for the first time in two weeks to host Kentucky on Thursday, Jan. 25. The Hogs and Wildcats will tipoff at 7 p.m. from Bud Walton Arena on SECN+.

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.

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