Basketball (W)

WBB Preview: Arkansas at Vanderbilt

January 22, 2025
SEC Network Game Notes

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Razorback women’s basketball team (8-12, 1-4 SEC) continues SEC play on Thursday when it faces Vanderbilt (15-4, 2-3 SEC) at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tenn. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT and the game will be streamed live on SEC Network+ with Alex Gould (play-by-play) and Richard Hendrix (analyst) on the call.

Arkansas is coming off a 94-62 loss to No. 19 Alabama, its fourth ranked opponent in its last five games. The Commodores took down No. 15 Tennessee in a thrilling 71-70 win on Sunday afternoon. Izzy Higginbottom and Vandy’s Khamil Pierre rank No. 1 (23.6) and No. 2 (22.3), respectively, on the SEC’s scoring leaderboard.

After Thursday’s game, the Hogs will play another ranked team, No. 11 Kentucky, on Sunday in Lexington. That game will air on SEC Network with Courtney Lyle (play-by-play) and Carolyn Peck (analyst) on the call.

Game Info

Opponent: Vanderbilt (15-4, 2-3 SEC)
Tipoff: 6:30 p.m. CT
TV/Streaming: SEC Network+
Radio: Listen | RSN Affiliates
Live Stats: Click here

Arkansas
Head Coach: Mike Neighbors
Record at Arkansas: 146-104 (8th season)
Career Record: 244-145 (12th)
Leading Scorer: Izzy Higginbottom (23.6 PPG)
Leading Rebounder: Vera Ojenuwa (7.3 RPG)

Vanderbilt
Head Coach: Shea Ralph
Record at Vanderbilt: 66-52 (4th season)
Career Record: Same
Leading Scorer: Khamil Pierre (22.3 PPG)
Leading Rebounder: Khamil Pierre (10.2 RPG)

Game Notes

  • The two teams will square off for the 41st time overall and Vanderbilt leads the all-time seies 12-28. Arkansas is 2-16 in Nashville.
  • The Hogs and Dores met once last season, when Vanderbilt picked up a 62-53 win in Fayetteville
  • The Commodores are coming off a 71-70 victory over No. 15 Tennessee on Sunday in Nashville. The Dores trailed Tennessee 70-69 with 4.9 seconds remaining then freshman Mikayla Barnes got a putback with 0.8 seconds left to take the lead
  • Izzy Higginbottom and Vandy’s Khamil Pierre rank No. 1 (23.6) and No. 2 (22.3), respectively, on the SEC’s scoring leaderboard.
  • Izzy Higginbottom has cemented herself as one of the best scorers in the NCAA through the first 20 games and ranks No. 5 in the country and first in the SEC in points per game (23.6) ahead of Vanderbilt’s Khamil Pierre (22.3). She has been the Hogs’ leading scorer in 16 games (Fairfield, Little Rock, UTA, UCLA, ORU, OSU, BGSU, BC, TTU, LIB, Troy, UCA, LSU, Texas, Auburn, Tennessee) this season
  • She also leads the team and ranks second in the SEC in FT%, going 137-153 (.895) from the charity stripe. Higginbottom leads the SEC and ranks second in the NCAA in FTA (153) and leads the SEC and ranks No. 2 in the NCAA with 137 FTM. She’s been perfect from the line in eight games (ETA&M, LR, UCLA, BGSU, SEMO, LU, Troy, LSU) 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.
  • With 26 points against Tennessee, Higginbottom had 19 straight games in double figures and is the first Hog to accomplish the feat since Amber Ramirez did it in 2021-22. The streak ended after Higginbotton scored just five points against No. 19 Alabama on Jan. 19.
  • Higginbottom is tied for the second most 25+ point games in the NCAA (10 games) with South Dakota’s Grace Larkins.
  • Izzy picked up her second 30+ point game of the season after she dropped 36 points at Auburn on Jan. 9. It’s tied for the second most points in an SEC game so far this season. It’s also the sixith most by a Razorback player in an SEC game and the most since Erynn Barnum scored 37 points against Ole Miss.
  • Sophomore guard Kiki Smith has established herself as a consistent scoring threat for Arkansas. The Topeka, Kan. native has 10+ points in 11 of 20 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. Against Alabama, Smith scored a season and game high 23 points, going 8-15 from FG and 4-9 from 3.
  • From beyond the arc, Kiki ranks fifth in the SEC and 50th in the NCAA with 45 3s
  • Freshman Phoenix Stotijn made her long awaited debut against Texas Tech. The Dutch native settled in in the second half and shot 3-6 from three and converted her lone free throw attempt. Stotijn finished with 12 points and played just over 20 minutes.
  • 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.

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