Jackson Scores 23 In Razorback Win
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Senior Jessica Jackson scored 23 points leading the University of Arkansas women’s basketball team to a resounding 65-36 win over Northwestern State on Sunday afternoon in Bud Walton Arena.
Jackson banked in a 3-pointer as time expired in the first half for a 41-13 halftime lead, the Razorbacks’ largest halftime lead of the season, as she led all scorers with a season-high 23 points. It was her 11th consecutive game in double figures and included a season-high 17 first-half points. It was her third 20-point game of the season and the 23rd of her career. Keiryn Swenson added 11 points and a career-high nine rebounds, while Devin Cosper finished with nine points.
Arkansas (10-1) shot 48.1 percent from the floor, including 50 percent in the first half. It was the team’s sixth game to shoot 45 percent or better this season, matching the 2014-15 total, which was the most under head coach Jimmy Dykes.
Defensively, Arkansas held Northwestern State (5-4) to 25.0 percent shooting and scored 19 points off 19 Northwestern State turnovers. The 36 points allowed and 25.0 percent shooting allowed were both season bests for the Arkansas defense.
The Razorbacks used runs of 7-0 early in the first quarter and 6-0 late in the frame to jump out to a 23-7 lead after 10 minutes of play. They never trailed in the contest, leading by as many as 30, on the way to the 65-36 win.
Arkansas continues its three-game home stand to close out nonconference play with Oral Roberts on Wednesday and Houston Baptist on Wednesday, Dec. 28.
Key Run
Arkansas opened the game on an 11-2 run over the first 4:56, including seven straight points to finish the run. Arkansas was 5-of-8 from the floor and held Northwestern State to 1-of-4 shooting and forced three turnovers. Jessica Jackson accounted for seven of the team’s 11 points, going 3-of-5 from the floor. Jailyn Mason later pushed the lead to 14-4 after a 3-pointer with 3:14 left in the quarter, and the Razorbacks would lead by double digits the rest of the way.
Key Play
Jessica Jackson banked in a 3-pointer as time expired in the first half to give Arkansas a 41-13 halftime lead, its largest lead at the time and its largest halftime lead of the season. The 3-pointer also gave Jackson a season-high 17 points in the first half, her fourth game with double-figure points in the first half of a contest this season.
Key Stat – 36
Arkansas held Northwestern State to 36 points, a season-low for points allowed by Arkansas and a season-low for points scored by Northwestern State. The 36 points included 13 first-half points, the fewest allowed by Arkansas this season and the second-fewest points scored by Northwestern State this season. The Razorbacks also held the Lady Demons to a season-low 25 percent shooting and forced 19 turnovers in the game.
Notable
• Arkansas improves to 26-10 in home games under head coach Jimmy Dykes. That mark includes a 7-0 record this season and a 16-4 record in nonconference home games.
• Arkansas improves to 13-3 all-time against Northwestern State, winning the last 10 meetings dating back to the 1992-93 season.
• Arkansas has used the same starting five for each of the 11 games: Malica Monk, Jailyn Mason, Jessica Jackson, Bailey Zimmerman and Alecia Cooley.
• Jessica Jackson scored in double figures in the first half of a game for the fourth time this season, finishing with a season-high 17 points in the first 20 minutes.
• Jessica Jackson has scored in double figures in the first 11 games this season. She is averaging a team-best 16.7 points per game and has led the team in scoring in nine of the 11 games this season.
• Arkansas led 41-13 at halftime, its largest halftime lead of the season. The 13 first-half points allowed were the fewest allowed by Arkansas this season.
• Arkansas shot 48.1 percent from the field, its sixth game of 45 percent or better shooting 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 14-0 in those games.
• Arkansas held Northwestern State to 25 percent shooting, the second-lowest field-goal percentage allowed by Arkansas and the third game that Arkansas has held an opponent under 30 percent shooting this season.
• Arkansas has won the rebounding battle in 10 of the 11 games this season, improving to 32-8 when outrebounding its opponents under head coach Jimmy Dykes.
• Arkansas is off to a 10-1 start for the first time under head coach Jimmy Dykes. It’s also the program’s best start since the 2013-14 season, when the Razorbacks won its first 13 games.
Quotable – From Coach Jimmy Dykes
“It’s great to be 10-1. We were a really good basketball team for the first 20 minutes. We did a lot of really good things and, at the end of the game, we held a team to 36 points and they only shot 25 percent from the floor on us.”
Up Next
Arkansas continues its three-game home stand to close out nonconference play with Oral Roberts on Wednesday and Houston Baptist on Wednesday, Dec. 28. Arkansas then travels to Ole Miss for its SEC opener on New Year’s Day and plays Mississippi State on Jan. 5 in its SEC home opener.
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