Poffenbarger leads Arkansas to win at Mizzou

With the ability to depend on his group’s protection is a luxurious Mike Neighbors has repeatedly talked about this season when speaking about his Arkansas ladies’s basketball group.

Arkansas (16-3, 3-1 SEC) put the clamps on as soon as once more Sunday afternoon and had its third straight recreation capturing higher than 40% en path to a runaway 77-55 highway victory towards Missouri. It was the Razorbacks’ third dominant win in a row by greater than 20 factors.

It improved Arkansas’ report to 5-0 in true highway video games this season and handed Missouri (14-3, 3-1 SEC) its largest margin of defeat inside Mizzou Enviornment since December 2019. The Tigers had been held to 18 of 62 capturing, effectively beneath their 46.4% common, which was third finest within the SEC getting into the sport.

“Our protection travels once more,” Neighbors stated. “We compelled a very hard-to-guard offense to solely shoot 29%.”

The Razorbacks fell behind 9-4 early, however that’s when the protection began to set the tone. Missouri had an abysmal 11-minute stretch within the first half with out scoring a degree, lacking 23 straight photographs and going 0 of two from the free-throw line.

Arkansas took benefit of the chilly spell and went on a 15-0 run to show a five-point deficit right into a 19-9 lead halfway by way of the second quarter. It was largely performed when Neighbors inserted Rylee Langerman, who sparked some added depth.

“There was only one little stretch there the place I believed they performed tougher than we did, when Sara-Rose [Smith] got here within the recreation,” Neighbors stated. “However that is after we countered with Rylee, and I believed Rylee bought us again going. I in all probability ought to have performed her a bit bit earlier to get that power going.

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“I did not realize it was 11 minutes till they simply talked about that, in order that’s bought to be one in all our higher defensive stretches of the yr.”

Saylor Poffenbarger took over in the course of the first half for the Razorbacks, scoring 11 factors on 45% capturing, together with a three-pointer to place the Razorbacks forward by double figures. She was electrical all afternoon, scoring a career-high 24 factors.

Her mom, Amy, who starred at Missouri within the early Nineteen Nineties, was in attendance to witness her daughter’s efficiency.

“She’s taking part in with lots of confidence,” Neighbors stated. “She’s practiced like this since she got here on campus…I feel she’s simply getting extra snug.”

Poffenbarger additionally had the defensive task on Missouri star Hayley Frank and shut down the fifth-year senior and preseason SEC second-team choice. Frank was held scoreless within the first half and completed with a season-low 5 factors.

“It appeared like each time the ball would discover Hayley, Saylor was kneecap to kneecap together with her,” Neighbors stated. “And she or he is an extremely onerous matchup. She actually places lots of stress on you defensively. I believed Saylor dealt with it 1-on-1 lots of instances, however I believed our hole protection and simply form of shading and displaying, there was assist if she did occur to get round it.”

Haley Troup ended the scoreless streak for the Tigers with a layup, then put Missouri on her again with  eight straight factors. Troup scored 12 factors earlier than intermission on 4 of 6 from the ground, and the remainder of her group shot simply 10% (3-30), unable to ever pose a critical scoring menace.

Langerman knocked down a three-pointer on the second-quarter buzzer to offer Arkansas a 31-22 lead at halftime and a rush of momentum getting into the locker room.

The Razorbacks got here out within the third quarter the place they left off, with Poffenbarger and Makayla Daniels flattening back-to-back threes. Arkansas stretched its lead out to as many as 16 factors, however Missouri discovered an offensive rhythm late to convey it inside 49-38.

Chrissy Carr hit a tricky jumper as time expired within the third quarter to take a 13-point benefit into the fourth.

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Arkansas owned a 26-17 benefit within the fourth quarter, helped by 3 of three three-point capturing from Carr. It was the second consecutive 16-point efficiency from the Syracuse switch, who led the group with a plus/minus score of plus-26.

“Chrissy hit some well timed threes that saved folks trustworthy,” Neighbors stated.

Erynn Barnum took issues over within the second half, particularly within the fourth quarter. The senior from Little Rock posted her second double-double of the season and fifth 20-plus level recreation with 21 factors and 11 rebounds. She has additionally averaged 5 assists within the Razorbacks’ three-game win streak.

“She’s gotten so good at studying cuts, and our children have turn out to be keen cutters as a result of now they know Erynn will go it after they lower,” Neighbors stated. “And I believed we discovered her across the basket. She’s so misleading in her strikes across the basket.

“She’s used to guarding larger children and greater children aren’t used to guarding gamers like her. She’s made a dwelling out of doing that.”

Daniels added 9 factors for the Razorbacks and Samara Spencer hauled in a team-leading 9 defensive rebounds from the purpose guard spot. Troup completed with 24 factors to steer Missouri and Lauren Hansen added 10.

The win gave Arkansas its finest begin since 2005-06, when the Razorbacks jumped out to 5-1 in league play earlier than dropping 9 in a row to shut the season. It additionally prolonged Arkansas’ win streak over Missouri to eight video games, which is the longest towards any SEC foe.

The Razorbacks may have an eight-day pause earlier than returning to motion at house towards Vanderbilt on Jan. 16.