ABILENE – Arkansas' 19-7 run through the first 4:30 of the fourth quarter lifted the Razorbacks to a 80-68 win over Abilene Christian Saturday afternoon at Moody Coliseum. Arkansas, which hit seven field goals during this stretch (including three 3-pointers), improved to 7-3 with the win, while the Wildcats slipped to 7-2.
Breanna Wright and Julie Goodenough Postgame Interview
With a big crowd on hand for the annual Christmas Slam, it certainly felt like the Wildcats were riding the momentum entering the final quarter after junior guard
Breanna Wright (18 points, five assists, two steals) hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to cut Arkansas' lead to 57-55. But the Razorbacks soon pushed their advantage back to six points on consecutive buckets by Taylah Thomas (12 points), and later grabbed their first double-digit lead of the game (68-58) at the 6:53 mark on a fast-break layup by Alexis Tolefree (21 points).
Malica Monk sank a trey less than 30 seconds later to cancel out a
Lexie Ducat (19 points) layup, and soon it was a 14-point game (76-62) after Jailyn Mason (five points, five assists) finished her shot from beyond the arc.
From there ACU only made two additional field goals (by Ducat and
Dominique Golightly) as the Wildcats were limited to 5-of-12 (.417) shooting and three free throws in the final quarter. For the game ACU outshot the Razorbacks, .444 to .431, but five fewer 3-pointers.
There were six ties and eight lead changes through the first three quarters, and never once did the Wildcats trail by more than seven points outside the fourth quarter. The home team led by two points going into the second quarter, 16-14, thanks to one of Ducat's game-high nine field goals at the 44-second mark, and at halftime they only trailed by three points, 49-32, as the Razorbacks finished on a 10-2 run after trailing 37-32 with 2:58 remaining before the break.
Arkansas went on to lead by as many as seven points in the third quarter, but on several occasions the Wildcats were able to make it a one-possession game with late field goals coming from
Alyssa Adams (11 points, seven rebounds), Ducat and Wright. ACU's defense in the third quarter also held the Razorbacks to 31.3 percent shooting (5-16) and only one successful 3-pointer on nine attempts.
The Razorbacks shot the same in the first quarter but were solid offensively in both the second (10-16, .625 with four 3-pointers) and fourth stanzas.
Next up for the Wildcats is Finals Week with their next game scheduled for Monday, Dec. 17 at No. 8 Mid-Major FGCU. ACU's next home game isn't until after the start of the new year when it plays host to McNeese on Jan. 9.
