Arkansas looks to split games at Cherokee Invitational after frustrating opening loss

BY DUDLEY E. DAWSON

After a rollercoaster late Wednesday night that resulted in a 75-61 loss to Liberty, the Arkansas women’s basketball team will try Thursday night to salvage a split of its Harrah’s Cherokee Invitational trip.

The Razorbacks (6-7) will face Troy (5-6) at 6 p.m. in the game third-place of the tournament in Cherokee, N.C.

Thursday night’s Arkansas-Troy game will be streamed on StadiumTV with Taylor Stolworthy and Shawn Crowe on the call.

It comes after Arkansas fell down 29-10 to Liberty early in second quarter, rallied to take a 55-54 lead only to net only one basket in the final five minutes of the contest.

“The growing frustration for us,” Neighbors said, “and I am sure for the fans as well because fans don’t come to see us practice…I’ve never said that we’ve had a team that practices good, but can’t bring it to the floor, but that’s us this year.

…“When we hooked up and are communicated and moving it, it looks pretty good. But there are too many lulls.”

Izzy Higginbottom, who leads the SEC in scoring and is fourth nationally at 23.7 points per game, led Arkansas on Wednesday night with 24 points.

Carly Keats added 11 points for the Razorbacks, Danika Galea 8 and Phoenix Stotijn 7 in her second game with the team since becoming eligible on Dec. 15.

Higginbottom and Stotijn hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give Arkansas a 44-43 lead with 4:37 left in the third quarter, but Neighbors then got an ill-advised technical and the Flames went on a 6-0 run.

Neighbors got a technical 31 seconds after Higginbottom and Stotijn hit the 3-pointers to give the Razorbacks the lead.

“It was an untimely technical on my part and I am not going to sleep good tonight because of it,” Neighbors said. “Because that could have…I don’t know how much of that coincided. 

“We got Phoenix going downhill pretty good and I thought we got fouled. And we didn’t get the call and it didn’t go our way. I’ve got to be better and not let that happen.”

Higginbottom got inside twice for lay ups to give Arkansas a 55-54 lead, but the Razorbacks only hit one of their last 10 field goal attempts.

“We went flat again,” Neighbors said. “We started flat and finished flat. That’s the way it goes. It’s a different reason now and that’s the only thing I am encouraged by…We did have unbelievable prep so it’s not that.”

The Flames scored 38 points inside against the Razorbacks despite that being a point of emphasis per Neighbors.

“We talked about not letting them score outside the paint and you look down and the first number you see is 38,” Neighbors said. “…That’s a focus thing and focus is the first thing to go when lose your energy.”

Neighbors refused to blame the 9:30 p.m. local tip time or any other outside actor for the loss.

“I’m not going to look for excuses,” Neighbors said. “We’ve played way too many games now to worry about a tip time. We are 13 games in and 13 games in there are some clear pictures and there are some that are a little bit murky for us.”

Jordan Hughes led Liberty with 18 points while 6-foot-6 center Bella Smuda and 16 points and 8 rebounds in game that head coach Casey Green’s team led for all but 58 seconds.

“If you’ve got a weakness, man, he’s going to expose it,” Neighbors said of Green. “It felt like was kind of looking around going, ‘OK, we’re going to run this. We’re going to do that.'”

Troy lost to Toledo, 70-62, in the tournament’s opening game on Wednesday night.

Photo courtesy of Razorbacks Communications/Noah Southard