Razorbacks Begin Final Stretch At Florida
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas women’s basketball team enters the final stretch of the regular season, playing four of its final six games on the road, beginning with Florida on Thursday night at 6 p.m. in the O’Connell Center.
Aaliyah Wilson led the Razorbacks (13-10, 2-8 SEC) in scoring against No. 4 South Carolina, finishing with 16 points, the second-most points in her career. It was her fourth career game in double figures and her first since posting a career-high 20 points against Texas A&M on Jan. 12.
Jessica Jackson continues to lead the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 14.5 points per game and 6.2 rebounds per game. She has scored in double figures in 17 of 23 games this season, most recently finishing with 26 points against Georgia on Feb. 2 for her team-leading fifth 20-point game of the season.
As a team, Arkansas ranks fourth in the SEC in scoring defense (57.4 points per game) and fifth in the SEC in field-goal percentage defense (38.0 percent). The Razorbacks have also held 15 of 23 opponents below their season shooting average, posting a 10-5 record in those 15 games.
Florida (11-12, 2-8) is tied with Arkansas for 12th place in the SEC standings. The Gators are 1-5 in home games this season, including 0-5 in SEC home games, after playing their 12 games away from home waiting for renovations to be completed on their home arena. Ronnie Williams leads the SEC in scoring, averaging 19.0 points per game.
The Opponent
Arkansas travels to Florida for the first time since the 2014-15 season. Florida leads the all-time series 25-9 and has won the last four meetings in Gainesville and the last two meetings overall.
Florida has lost its last two games, including an 84-75 setback to Ole Miss on Monday. The Gators are 2-3 in SEC road games, with wins at Georgia and Auburn, and 0-5 in SEC home games. Their only home win this season came against Southeastern Louisiana on Dec. 28.
Ronnie Williams leads the SEC in scoring and leads four Gators in double figures, averaging 19.0 points per game. She shoots 55.8 percent from the floor and 75.0 percent from the free-throw line.
Florida ranks fourth in the SEC in scoring offense (73.9 points per game) and third in the SEC in field-goal percentage (45.4 percent). Defensively, Florida ranks 13th in the SEC in scoring defense (69.5 points per game) and 10th in the SEC in field-goal percentage defense (38.8 percent).
Notable
• Jessica Jackson leads the team and ranks 14th in the SEC in scoring, averaging 14.5 points per game.
• In addition to its fourth-best scoring defense, Arkansas ranks fifth in the SEC in field-goal percentage defense (38.0 percent) and ranks sixth in the SEC in three-point field-goal percentage defense (29.6 percent).
• Arkansas has shot 45 percent or better in eight games this season. Arkansas shot 45 percent or better twice all of last season (30 games) and six times all of 2014-15 (32 games). Arkansas is now 16-0 when shooting 45 percent or better under head coach Jimmy Dykes.
• Arkansas has held opponents under 30 percent shooting in six games this season: Sam Houston State (26.9), Louisiana-Monroe (22.1), Tulsa (29.7), Northwestern State (25.0), Houston Baptist (24.1) and LSU (28.8).
• Arkansas has had seven different players score in double figures during the first half of games this season: Jessica Jackson (six times), Alecia Cooley (two times) Malica Monk (two times), Devin Cosper, Jailyn Mason, Keiryn Swenson and Aaliyah Wilson
Looking Ahead
Arkansas travels to Missouri for the back half of a two-game road trip, before returning home to face Kentucky on Feb. 16. Arkansas travels to No. 24 Tennessee (Feb. 19) and Vanderbilt (Feb. 23) and hosts Auburn on Feb. 26 to close out the 2016-17 regular season.
To order tickets for the 2016-17 season, call the Razorback Ticket Center at 800-982-HOGS (4647) or 479-575-5151.
For more information on Arkansas women’s basketball, follow @RazorbackWBB on Twitter.
