Basketball (W)

Preview - No. 25 Arkansas @ Missouri

Mario Bravante
Mario Bravante February 1, 2020

INFO
Date: Sunday, Feb. 2
Time: 4 p.m.
Opponent: Missouri
Location: Mizzou Arena
TV: SEC Network

LAST TIME OUT

  • No. 25 Arkansas won its second straight SEC game on Thursday night in Coleman Coliseum, beating Alabama, 66-48.
  • With the win, Arkansas is now just one SEC win away from matching its conference win total from all of last season.
  • Redshirt junior guard Amber Ramirez led the way for the Hogs, going for a game-high 22 points.
  • It was her fifth game this season going for 20+, and her second time doing it in the state of Alabama, as the sharpshooter went for 25 against Auburn earlier this season.
  • Joining Ramirez in double-figures was Alexis Tolefree, who had 17 points.
  • Arkansas’ offense was good once again early in the game, but the Hogs’ defense was even more effective in the first half, holding the Crimson Tide to just 11 points, the fewest allowed by the Razorbacks to an opponent in a half so far this season.
  • Arkansas held ‘Bama to just four of 31 shooting, and one of 10 shooting from three in the first half.
  • Tolefree powered the Razorback attack in the first half to a 22-point lead, pouring in 12 first-half points, including seven in the second quarter.
  • Ramirez got five of her points at the line tonight, matching a season high.
  • Tolefree continues to be great on the glass, as she again led the Hogs in rebounds, pulling down seven of them.
  • She also made six free throws, matching her career-high.
  • Makayla Daniels led the Razorbacks in helpers tonight, dishing four of them.

STORYLINES

  • The Razorbacks have been great so far in their road games during the conference slate, winning three of their four contests away from Bud Walton Arena so far in 2020.
  • Those three wins match their 2019 SEC road win total.
  • The Hogs have outscored their opponents by an average of 14.7 away from home, averaging a healthy 83.5 points per game on the road in conference play.
  • The Hogs have scored 80+ in three of those four games, including a 100-point showing against Vanderbilt earlier this season.
  • The Splash Sister duo of Amber Ramirez and Alexis Tolefree has been especially lethal on the road.
  • Ramirez has been simply sensational outside of Bud, averaging 21.3 points per game on .525 percent shooting. She is also also hitting threes at a .457 percent clip on the road.
  • Tolefree has been nearly as good, averaging 18.8 points per game to go with a team-leading 6.0 boards per game away from Fayetteville.
  • The only loss away from home during the new year came at then-No. 4 South Carolina, a game in which the Hogs clawed back from 25 down. The Hogs would end up losing by nine.
  • The Razorbacks are getting excellent productivity out of their two lead guards so far this season.
  • That was especially true on Sunday, as the Hogs leaned heavily on both Makayla Daniels and A’Tyanna Gaulden in order to beat Florida.
  • Gaulden got things started for the Hogs against Florida, scoring or assisting on nine straight points during Arkansas’ 14-2 run that closed out the first period.
  • Daniels would finish this one off, as she would score the first 10 points of the fourth quarter for the Hogs.
  • In total, the lead guard duo combined for 31 points, as Daniels went for 19 while Gaulden went for 12. Daniel’s 19 points were the most by a freshman in a SEC game since 2017, while Gaulden’s 12 points matched her career-best in a SEC game.
  • Daniels has provided scoring and defense for the Hogs this season, as her 9.8 points per game are the fourth most on the team, while her 28 total steals are third most on the squad.
  • Gaulden, meanwhile has provided a lift with her passing, as she leads the Hogs in helpers (68) despite coming off the bench for Coach Neighbors.

SCOUTING MISSOURI

  • Following Arkansas’ 90-73 win over Mizzou earlier this season, the all-time series is now tied at 12 games apiece.
  • Prior to Arkansas’ win over the Tigers in early January, the Hogs had lost seven straight games to Mizzou. The last time Arkansas won in Columbia was back in 2014.
  • Mizzou is currently 2-6 in the SEC, with wins over LSU and Ole Miss.
  • The Tigers are led by highly-touted freshman guard Aijha Blackwell, who is leading the team in points per game (13.2), rebonds per game (6.0) and total assists (53).
  • Blackwell has been even better in conference play, bumping her averages across the board, including a team-high 15.9 points per contest and 6.9 rebounds per game.
  • The Tigers’ other talented freshman, Hayley Frank, has been nearly as good through the first half of the SEC slate, averaging 10.8 points per game.
  • Frank has done all this while only starting one of the eight conference games played by Mizzou so far.
  • The Tigers (7.1) and Razorbacks (9.8) both shoot a lot of threes, as they are both top-four in the SEC in three pointers made per game.

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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