Preview - No. 19 Arkansas vs. Auburn

INFO
Date: Sunday, Jan. 31
Time: 2 p.m.
Opponent: Auburn
Location: Bud Walton Arena
Tickets: Click HERE
Game Program: Click HERE

LAST TIME OUT

• For the second time this season, No. 19 Arkansas (12-6, 2-5) shocked the basketball world, as Head Coach Mike Neighbors’ Hogs took down No. 3 UConn (10-1, 8-0), 90-87, in front of an electric crowd inside Bud Walton Arena.
• Arkansas guard Chelsea Dungee was simply unbelievable in the win, going for a season-high 37 points in the biggest game of her career.
• The redshirt senior could not be stopped all game long, putting in 13 of her 21 shots on the night, including four of her five three-point attempts.
• Dungee saved her best for last, putting in 22 of those points after halftime.
• Redshirt senior guard Amber Ramirez played another phenomenal game, meeting the moment with 22 points of her own, shooting 50 percent from the field (8-16) and 50 percent from deep (5-10).
• Both teams lit up the scoreboard in the first half, each shooting over 50 percent from the field.
• A 7-0 Arkansas push toward the end of the second quarter helped Arkansas to manage just a two-point deficit at halftime against the Huskies after UConn hit a shot just before the halftime buzzer.
• Arkansas, who leads the SEC in three scoring categories this year, had no problem putting the ball in the basket against one of the best teams in the nation in the second half. The third quarter was owned by the Razorbacks, as the Hogs outscored UConn 31-19 in the frame, including a 9-0 run out of the gate, aided by six three-pointers on seven attempts.
• After extending the lead to nine points by the end of the third, the fourth quarter saw both juggernaut offenses at work, as each team tried to grab the lead. Husky guard Paige Bueckers was simply phenomenal in the fourth quarter, keeping UConn in it with 15 points in the final frame alone. Despite falling in close games earlier in the season, Arkansas did not falter late, making clutch shots down the stretch to hold the advantage until the final buzzer.
• Sophomore guard Makayla Daniels contributed 11 points while also guarding Christyn Williams in her homecoming.
• Senior forward Taylah Thomas was a game-high +17 against UConn. She scored four points and pulled down seven rebounds.
• Ramirez’s five threes in the game was one-shy of her season-high.

STORYLINES

• As she often is, senior forward Taylah Thomas was the unsung hero in Arkansas’ win over UConn.
• In her 30 minutes played, Thomas was a game-high +17.
• She held UConn’s two bigs to just eight points and eight rebounds combined, while pulling down a team-high seven boards herself.
• Because of her effort on the glass, Arkansas only lost the rebounding battle to the Huskies, who were the much taller team, by six. On average, UConn out-rebounds its opponents by 11.5 boards a game.
• Thomas has had several other big moments this season as well, including a big double-double against Florida Gulf Coast (11 pts, 10 rebs), to help Arkansas narrowly win that game.
• She also had nine points and eight boards in the Hogs’ narrow win over Florida.
• Arkansas now has two signature wins on the season, as Neighbors’ bunch has now taken down No. 4 Baylor and No. 3 UConn.
• The offense was flowing in both games against two programs known for their defenses, as the Hogs dropped 83 on Baylor before giving UConn 90 points.
• It is the first time in program history the Hogs have beaten two top-five teams in the same season. Arkansas’ win against Baylor marked its first top-five win since 2003 (W, 82-72, No. 2 LSU, 1-19-03).
• The victory over the Lady Bears was also Arkansas’ first win over a defending national champion since 1996 (W, 77-75, No. 6 Tennessee, 12-29-96).
• With the two wins, Mike Neighbors is now the first Head Hog to guide Arkansas to two top-five victories.
• During the Hogs’ biggest games of the season, the guard duo of Chelsea Dungee and Amber Ramirez has showed out.
• Against teams in the top-10 of the AP Poll this season, Dungee has been electric, averaging 25.5 points per game on 49.3 percent shooting and 55 percent from deep.
• In the Hogs’ two ranked wins this season, Dungee has been nearly unstoppable, averaging 29.5 points per game, while shooting 56 percent from the field and 44 percent from three.
• She has also made 17 of her 22 free throw attempts in those two games.
• Ramirez, meanwhile, added nearly 10 points to her yearly average in the Hogs’ two program defining victories, pouring in 22.5 points per game.
• She has also been incredibly efficient in the big games, shooting 50 percent from the field and a blistering 54 percent from three in those games.
• Even when looking at those two pressure packed games, both stars were even better in the second half – Dungee scored 22 of her 37 against UConn after the intermission, while Ramirez scored 16 of her 23 against Baylor following the break.

MORE INFORMATION

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