Third Quarter Surge Not Enough in Arkansas’ Loss to Kansas in WNIT Great 8
LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Arkansas women’s basketball team’s (24-13) season came to an end in the Postseason WNIT Great 8, as the Razorbacks fell to Kansas (23-11), 78-64. Arkansas was down by as many as 21 points but clawed back to make it an eight-point game with under a minute to go in the third quarter. The Razorbacks outscored the Jayhawks 31-22 in third quarter but could not close in deeper on the lead. Makayla Daniels led Arkansas with 21 points as one of four Razorbacks in double figures. With an 139-day season, the longest in program history, the Razorbacks finish the season with 24 wins.
Arkansas came up empty on their first two possessions, as Kansas jumped out to a 5-0 lead, but Chrissy Carr knocked down a midrange jumper to get the Razorbacks on the board. The Razorbacks went cold, going 0-for-6 from the field and not scoring for five minutes, as the Jayhawks went on a 10-0 run. Arkansas called a timeout, trailing 15-2 with 3:47 left in the frame. Makayla Daniels came up with an and-1 to end the Razorbacks’ drought and continued to score with a 3-pointer and layup to go on a 10-0 run herself. Just before the end of the quarter, Daniels delivered a layup and got fouled in the process. She missed the free throw, as Arkansas trailed 20-12 at the end of the first quarter.
The Razorbacks fell in another scoring drought to begin the second quarter, going into the media timeout taken at 3:53 without scoring a basket. This allowed the Jayhawks to go on a 10-0 run, leading 30-12 with less than four minutes left in the quarter. Coming off the bench, Jersey Wolfenbager delivered Arkansas’ first score of the quarter with a layup off a dish from Erynn Barnum, but Kansas answered on their next possessions with a 3-pointer to take a 21-point lead, their largest of the game. Barnum came up with an and-1, but Kansas continued to catch fire from deep with their fourth triple of the game. Arkansas went 0-for-5 from the field to end the half, behind 38-19.