Wilson Leads Arkansas Against No. 4 South Carolina
Box Score | Photo Gallery | Postgame Press Conference
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Aaliyah Wilson led the way with 16 points, four points shy of her career high, as Arkansas fell to No. 4 South Carolina 79-49 on Sunday afternoon in Bud Walton Arena.
Nine different players scored for the Razorbacks (13-10, 2-8 SEC), led by Wilson, who finished with the second-most points in her career. Bailey Zimmerman added seven points, and Alecia Cooley and Keiryn Swenson had six points each. Wilson and Cooley helped the Arkansas bench outscore the South Carolina bench 31-19.
Wilson led the Razorbacks with 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting in the first half. Arkansas pulled to within nine early on two different occasions in the second quarter but that was as close as the Razorbacks would get the rest of the way.
Arkansas scored the first three points of the second half, on a 3-pointer by Zimmerman, to get within 15, but South Carolina outscored Arkansas 23-6 the rest of the third quarter, including an 11-0 run, to stretch its lead to 66-34 heading into the final 10 minutes.
Arkansas outscored South Carolina 15-13 in the fourth quarter, highlighted by 12-0 run midway through the frame. The Razorbacks shot well from the line hitting 87.5% of the bonus shots and took good care of the ball with just 13 turnovers against one of the best defensive teams in the country.
Key Stat – 13
Arkansas committed just 13 turnovers against one of the best defenses in the country. The 13 miscues are the second fewest turnovers in the last nine games.
Key Run I – 7-0
South Carolina scored the first seven points of the game on the way to a 21-10 first-quarter lead. The Gamecocks led by as many as 14 points and never trailed.
Key Run II – 12-0
Trailing 70-37 early in the fourth quarter, Arkansas went on a 12-0 run and held South Carolina without a field goal for 6:02. A pair of 3-pointers by Aaliyah Wilson and steals by Kiara Williams and Malica Monk keyed the run for the Razorbacks.
Notable
• Kiara Williams has started the last three games, after coming off the bench in the first 11 games this season.
• Aaliyah Wilson became the seventh different player to score in double figures during the first half of a game this season, joining Jessica Jackson, Alecia Cooley, Malica Monk, Devin Cosper, Jailyn Mason and Keiryn Swenson.
• Aaliyah Wilson scored in double figures for the first time since posting a career-high 20 points against Texas A&M on Jan. 12. She had 10 points in the first half and finished with 16 points for the second-most point in her career and her fourth career game in double figures.
• Arkansas was 7-of-8 and South Carolina was 18-of-20 were a combined 25-of-28 (89.3 percent) from the free-throw line.
• Arkansas is 28-16 in home games under head coach Jimmy Dykes. That mark includes a 9-6 record this season and a 11-11 record in conference home games. Arkansas is 1-5 in conference home games this season.
Quotable – From Coach Jimmy Dykes
“They’re one of the teams favored to go to the Final Four and we all saw why today. Their size can just overwhelm not only us, but they can overwhelm most of the teams in the country.”
Quotable II – From Coach Jimmy Dykes
“We won the fourth quarter. We kept thinking about things that we can do that can keep us going. She (Coach Dawn Staley) had some backups in, but we had backup in too. We played really young in the fourth quarter. I was proud of how we did. It’s a loss, but it’s a learning experience for us.”
Up Next
Arkansas plays four of its final six regular-season games on the road, traveling to Florida (Feb. 9) and Missouri (Feb. 12) for back-to-back road games, before returning home to face No. 25 Kentucky on Thursday, Feb. 16. Arkansas hosts Auburn for its final home game and final regular-season game on Sunday, Feb. 26.
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