Tolefree, Dungee, Propel Arkansas Past Auburn, 90-68

Mario Bravante March 5, 2020

GREENVILLE, SC – No. 25 Arkansas (23-7) won its first game of the 2020 postseason on Thursday afternoon, handling Auburn (11-18), 90-68. The Hogs made it rain inside Bon Secours Wellness Arena against the Tigers, setting the SEC Tournament record for most threes made in a single game, hitting 17 times from deep. With the win, Head Coach Mike Neighbors’ Hogs have now won at least one SEC Tournament game for the third year in a row, the first time the program has done that since 2001-2003.

Arkansas’ All-SEC duo of Alexis Tolefree and Chelsea Dungee went to work against the Tigers, combining for 53 of the Hogs’ 90 total points. For Tolefree, she nearly set the SEC record (8) for threes by a single player, hitting seven on her way to her fourth-career 30+ point performance. Dungee, meanwhile, picked up right where she left off in last season’s SEC tournament, going for 23 points on an ultra efficient nine of 14 shooting, including five of eight from deep.

TURNING POINT

Auburn got off to a hot start in this game, opening the game on an 8-0 run. It was the second time Arkansas got down early to the Tigers this season. Tolefree would keep the Hogs afloat in the first, scoring nine of the Razorbacks’ 11 first quarter points.

The slow start wouldn’t last though, as the Razorbacks would start to roll in the second, winning the period 26-10. The hammer was dropped during the end of the first half, as the Hogs would close it on a 20-3 run. Tolefree and Dungee did most of the damage in the period, scoring 18 combined points. Senior forward Kiara Williams also had six in the frame.

HOG HIGHLIGHTS

Arkansas’ 17 threes in the game matched a program record. The Hogs also made 17 earlier this season against Oral Roberts (11/14/19).
The Hogs had 25 assists against the Tigers, the most as a team since they had 25 against Vanderbilt back in 2018 (2/28/18).
With her nine points against the Tigers, Amber Ramirez crossed the 1,000 point threshold. She now has 1,008 career points.
Dungee’s five threes in the game matched a career-high.
A’Tyanna Gaulden stuffed the stat sheet for the Hogs, scoring four points, dishing six assists and grabbing six rebounds.
Rokia Doumbia also had a very well-rounded outing, going for six rebounds, five points and four assists.

NEXT TIME OUT

The fifth-seeded Hogs will move on to face fourth-seeded Texas A&M, a rematch of the SEC Opener this season. That game will tip-off at approximately 1 p.m. CT, and will air on the SEC Network.

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