Razorback Roundup -- Dec. 8

RAZORBACK ROUNDUPDec. 8, 2008MEN’S BASKETBALL (5-1) Arkansas beat Texas Southern in its only game last week, 80-61, extending its non-conference home winning streak to 37. The last non-conference home loss was in December 2003. Freshman Jason Henry had 19 points and seven rebounds against TSU. Arkansas plays host to North Carolina Central on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. The game is being televised by RSP, formerly ARSN. RSP affiliates are KFTA in Fayetteville, KATV in Little Rock and KAIT in Jonesboro.WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (7-2) Freshman Ceira Ricketts and senior Whitney Jones were named all-tournament at the Commerce Bank Wildcat Classic. The duo led Arkansas in scoring as the Razorbacks finished second in the Kansas State-hosted tournament. Ricketts had 18 points in the tournament finals against top 25 ranked KSU in a 65-56 loss. Arkansas defeated Mississippi Valley in the opening round, and downed Memphis on the previous Wednesday. Arkansas ranked ninth in the country in steals, with Ricketts ranked 10th individually, last week. The Razorbacks host North Dakota on Tuesday before taking a 10-day break for the 2008 Fall Semester final exams at the University.FOOTBALL (5-7, 2-6) Arkansas’ game-winning pass play to beat LSU was selected as the Pontiac Game Changing Performance of the Week after garnering 32 percent of the vote on an online poll. The Casey Dick to London Crawford 24-yard pass with 21 seconds to play in the game earned a $5,000 contribution from Pontiac to the University of Arkansas. The money will be directed towards a new veteran’s scholarship program being established on campus. The play is also eligible for the Pontiac Game Changing Performance of the Year. Fans should go to pontiac.com/ncaa to vote. The winner will receive an additional $100,000 for scholarships. Arkansas center Jonathan Luigs was named for the third-straight season as a Rimington Trophy finalist. Luigs, the 2007 Rimington Trophy winner, was also one of six Razorbacks to be recognized on Phil Steele’s All-SEC teams. Luigs and tight end D.J. Williams earned first-team honors. Running back Michael Smith and punter Jeremy Davis were named to the second team while defensive tackle Malcolm Sheppard and linebacker Jerry Franklin were selected to the third team.MEN’S GOLF The Hogs return from the off-season Feb. 22 at the John A. Burns Intercollegiate for their first tournament of the spring.WOMEN’S GOLF Former Arkansas golfer Stacy Lewis won the 2008 LPGA Qualifying School tournament by three strokes at the LPGA International Champions and Legends Course in Daytona Beach, Fla., last weekend, earning her LPGA Tour card for 2009. Lewis battled tough and windy conditions, turning in a final round 69 for a 342 (69-66-71-67-69). Lewis’ first seven holes saw her play two over but birdies on eight, nine and 10 signaled her poise and confidence had returned. She added birdies on 17 and 18, finishing the back nine three under for the day. Lewis and the other top 20 qualifiers attend rookie orientation Monday (Dec. 8). The former Razorback competed at Arkansas from her redshirt year in 2004 through the 2008 NCAA Championships. Lewis was a four-time first-team All-Southeastern Conference and four-time All-America selection. She won a pair of SEC Championship titles, first as a freshman in 2005 and again as a senior in 2008, and won the 2007 NCAA Championship on the same course as her recent Q-School victory. Arkansas returns to action at the LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic in Baton Rouge, La., March 13-15.GYMNASTICS The No. 12 Razorbacks open the season by hosting No. 21 Ohio State in a dual meet in Barnhill Arena on Friday, Jan. 9. SWIMMING AND DIVING (6-1, 2-1) The No. 22 Razorbacks closed the fall semester at the Mizzou Invite in Columbia, Mo. Freshman diver Liana Bugslag qualified for the NCAA Zone Diving Championships in platform diving, scoring a 240.25 and finishing second in the event. Senior Madison Palmer, who has already qualified for Zones in both the one- and three-meter springboards, won the one-meter event with a score of 289.75. The team will be back in action Jan. 10 when it hosts Kentucky and Missouri at 3 p.m.MEN’S TENNIS The Razorbacks will be back on the court Thursday, Jan.15, at the SEC Indoor Invitational in Lexington, Ky.WOMEN’S TENNIS Arkansas is back in action on Saturday, Jan. 17, for the Virginia Collegiate in Charlottesville.