WBB Preview: Arkansas hosts Texas Tech

FAYETTEVILLE – The Razorback women’s basketball team (6-5) will host Texas Tech (9-2) on Sunday afternoon in Bud Walton Arena. Tipoff is set for 2:00 p.m. inside Bud Walton Arena with Brett Dolan (play-by-play) and Matt Zimmerman (analyst) on the SEC Network Plus call.

Arkansas leads the all-time series against Tech, a former Southwest Conference foe, with a 19-9 record. The Razorbacks are on a two-game winning streak against the Lady Raiders as the two teams last played in the WNIT on March 24, 2023 with Arkansas winning by a 71-66 score. The Hogs have never lost to Texas Tech in Fayetteville.

Arkansas will look to win its third straight game, after taking down SEMO, 84-45, last Sunday. The Hogs had four players in double figures and led by as much as 43 points. In the second quarter, Carly Keats shot lights out from three-point range and drilled four straight treys to score the most points in a quarter for a Razorback this season. This started what would end up a 40-1 run by the Hogs.

Texas Tech is coming off a 61-57 loss at SMU on Wednesday night. Junior Jasmine Shavers led the way for the Red Raiders with 15 points and four rebounds, while also picking up two assists.

Game Info
Opponent: Texas Tech (9-2, 0-0 Big 12)
Tipoff: 2:00 p.m. CT, Sunday, Dec. 15
TV/Streaming: SEC Network+
Radio: Listen | RSN Affiliates
Live Stats: Click here

Arkansas
Head Coach: Mike Neighbors
Record at Arkansas: 144-97 (eighth season)
Career Record: 242-138 (12th)
Leading Scorer: Izzy Higginbottom (23.5 PPG)
Leading Rebounder: Vera Ojenuwa (7.7 RPG)

Texas Tech
Head Coach: Krista Gerlich
Record at Texas Tech: 67-67 (fifth season)
Career Record: 356-214 (19th)
Leading Scorer: Jasmine Shavers (15.5 PPG)
Leading Rebounder: Jordyn Merritt (4.1 RPG)

Game Notes

• Arkansas leads the all-time series against Tech with a 19-9 record. The Razorbacks are on a two-game winning streak against the Lady Raiders as the two teams last played in the WNIT on March 24, 2023 with Arkansas winning by a 71-66 score.
• Izzy Higginbottom has cemented herself as one of the best scorers in the NCAA through the first 11 games and ranks No. 4 in the country and first in the SEC in points per game (23.5) ahead of LSU’s Flau’Jae Johnson (22.0). She has been the leading scorer in eight games (Fairfield, Little Rock, UTA, UCLA, ORU, OSU, BGSU, BC) this season.
• She also leads the team and ranks third in the SEC in FT%, going 83-92 (.902) from the charity stripe. Higginbottom leads the SEC and ranks fourth in the NCAA in FTA (92) and ranks first in the SEC and second in the NCAA in FTM (83). She’s been perfect from the line in five games (ETA&M, LR, UCLA, BGSU, SEMO) this season.
• Higginbottom exploded for a career-high 38 points against Boston College, the most points by a Razorback since Chelsea Dungee dropped 41 against Auburn in 2019.
• With the 38 points from the BC game and 18 points against SEMO, Higginbottom was named Co-SEC Player of the Week.
• Sophomore guard Kiki Smith has established herself as a consistent scoring threat for Arkansas. The Topeka, Kan. native has 10+ points in 8 of 11 games and has started every game this season.
• Smith paced Arkansas with 22 points in its first win of the season against East Texas A&M.  She went 8-9 from FG and the lone miss was in the fourth quarter. From beyond the arc, Kiki ranks third in the SEC and 30th in the NCAA with 27 3s.
• Freshman Phoenix Stotijn will make her long awaited debut on Sunday. The Dutch native enrolled early and joined the team in January to practice. With her U18 National Team, she averaged 15 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game with a 31.9 percent clip from beyond the arc at the 2023 European Championships.
• The Hogs also added former Razorback soccer player Ella Rogers to the roster. Rogers, a Granville, Ohio native, was a first-team all district and first-team all-league guard for Granville High School.

For more information on Arkansas women’s basketball, follow @RazorbackWBB on social media.