@RazorbackWBB Drops SEC Opener, 71-57

OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Arkansas women’s basketball team dropped its opening Southeastern Conference game on Friday night falling 71-57 to Ole Miss at Tad Smith Coliseum in Oxford, Miss. The Razorbacks drop to 10-3 overall and 0-1 in SEC play.

Sophomore Jessica Jackson scored a team-high 17 points to go along with six rebounds. Jackson has scored in double figures in 11 of 13 games this season. Senior Jhasmin Bowen was a threat in the paint all evening, scoring 15 points and pulling down a team-high eight rebounds.

Arkansas struggled to find its rhythm on the offensive end of the floor all night, shooting 35 percent from the field and committing 17 turnovers. The Razorbacks did outrebound the Rebels, the 11th opponent in 13 games they have outrebounded, 35-34, and held an 18-8 edge in second-chance points.

Ole Miss shot 50 percent from the field and scored 34 of its 71 points in the paint. Arkansas’ 17 turnovers were turned into 28 points off turnovers for the Rebels.

Opening the game, Arkansas trailed 6-2 early as it shot just 20 percent in the opening four minutes. The Rebels used an old-fashioned three-point play to take a 9-7 lead but the Hogs would answer with an 8-0 run of their own to go up 15-9 at the 12-minute mark. Ole Miss countered right back with a 13-0 over the games next eight minutes as Arkansas made just 1-of-10 shots from the 13:00-5:00 minute mark. Despite the long field goal drought, Arkansas’ defense held them in the game by forcing nine Ole Miss turnovers.

Arkansas trailed by only five for the rest of the half until a late Rebel three gave Ole Miss a 33-25 halftime edge.

Jackson led the Hogs in the first half with eight points and Bowen added in six.

To start the second frame, Ole Miss scored the first six points to take a 16-point lead with just over 17 minutes to play. Ole Miss led by as many as 19 points, but Arkansas kept with it, continuing to fight and was able to trim to lead to as low as nine with 1:59 to play. After Ole Miss put the lead back up to 11, Arkansas threatened to cut it closer again but a turnover and an and-one on the other end put a halt to Arkansas’ frantic rally.

Arkansas continues SEC play when it plays host to No. 5/8 Texas A&M Sunday afternoon at 12:30 p.m. inside Bud Walton Arena. The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU.

QUOTABLE
“We never gave up. Our huddle, with three or four minutes to go, we were fighting, our voices were good, our body language was good, we just didn’t play well enough to win on the road, not in this league. We’re disappointed, very disappointed. We came here to win a basketball game. Now we’ve got to get back and get this game out of our system because Texas A&M comes rolling in Sunday afternoon.” – head coach Jimmy Dykes

POST GAME NOTES
–    Sophomore Jessica Jackson has scored in double figures in 11 of 13 games this season after she posted a team-high 17 points tonight.
–    Senior Jhasmin Bowen scored 15 points, the seventh time this season she’s been in double figures.
–    Arkansas outrebounded Ole Miss, 35-34, the 11th opponent in 13 games Arkansas has beat on the boards
–    Arkansas falls to 14-25 in the all-time series against Ole Miss