Razorbacks Welcome Defending WNIT Champion
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Coming off a pair of convincing opening weekend wins over Sam Houston State (71-39) and Louisiana-Monroe (92-46), the University of Arkansas women’s basketball team welcomes defending WNIT Champion South Dakota on Thursday at 7 p.m. in Bud Walton Arena.
Five players scored in doubles figures in the Razorbacks’ 92-46 win over Louisiana-Monroe on Sunday, including Keiryn Swenson and Briunna Freeman, who scored career highs off the bench. Defensively, Arkansas (2-0) held ULM to just 22.1 percent shooting, including 10.5 percent from 3-point range.
Jessica Jackson and Alecia Cooley have scored in double figures in each of the first two games this season. As a team, Arkansas ranks second in the SEC in field-goal percentage defense and three-point field-goal percentage defense and third in scoring defense.
South Dakota (2-0) also won its first two games of the season, extending its winning streak to eight games dating back to last season, which is the second-longest in the nation.
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The Opponent
Arkansas will face South Dakota for the first time in program history. South Dakota is the two-time defending regular season Summit League Champions and the defending WNIT Champion and the first of four nonconference opponents, and 14 opponents overall, that played in the postseason this past season.
With opening weekend wins over Southern Illinois-Edwardsville and Stephen F. Austin, South Dakota enters Thursday with a 2-0 record and an eight-game winning streak dating back to last season, which is the second-longest in the nation.
South Dakota returns 10 letterwinners, including five upperclassmen, from last year’s team and was picked to finish third in the league’s preseason poll. Allison Arens is the reigning Summit League Player of the Week after averaging 24.5 points this past week, scoring a career-high 28 points against SIUE.
Notable
- South Dakota is one of three first-time opponents on Arkansas’ schedule, along with Nevada/Navy and Houston Baptist.
- Arkansas is 21-10 in home games, including 13-4 in nonconference home games, under head coach Jimmy Dykes.
- Arkansas is seeking its second 3-0 start in three seasons under head coach Jimmy Dykes and the first 3-0 start since the 2014-15 season, when the Razorbacks advanced to the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament.
- Arkansas ranks among the national leaders in several defensive categories, including scoring defense (42.5 ppg, 20th), field-goal percentage defense (24.2, 13th) and three-point field-goal percentage defense (15.0, 26th).
Quotable I – From Coach Jimmy Dykes
“This is going to be our first true tough test. South Dakota is probably looking at it the same way. They lost some starters from last year, but those kids know how to win. You watch them on film, and within the first 10 minutes, you realize it’s another level that we’re going to now.”
Quotable II – From Coach Jimmy Dykes
“Every area of our team will be tested, from our conditioning, to our toughness, to our half-court defense, to our pressing defense, to how good are we really offensively? That’s where you should be right now. It’s time to get knocked down a little bit. I anticipate that we’ll get knocked around some Thursday night. I’m not going to say if we’re going to lose the game or win the game, but we’re going to get knocked around, but hopefully we’ll knock some around too.”
Looking Ahead
Arkansas concludes its four-game season-opening home stand against Stetson on Monday, before traveling to Reno, Nevada, for two games in the Nugget Classic against Memphis and Nevada/Navy. The Razorbacks return home to Bud Walton Arena for an SEC/Big 12 Challenge matchup with Texas Tech on Saturday, Dec. 3.
Upcoming Promotions
Upcoming promotions for games against South Dakota and Stetson include the Pepsi Family 4-Pack, $1 hot dog night, and a canned food drive that will benefit the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank and the University of Arkansas Full Circle Food Pantry. Click here for more details.
To order tickets for the 2016-17 season, click here or call the Razorback Ticket Center at 800-982-HOGS (4647) or 479-575-5151. Fans can email the Razorback Ticket Center at raztk@uark.edu.
For more information on Arkansas women’s basketball, follow @RazorbackWBB on Twitter.
