No. 16 Tennessee overpowers host Arkansas en route to a 93-63 victory

By DUDLEY E. DAWSON

FAYETTEVILLE – The nation’s highest-scoring and best 3-point shooting women’s college basketball team certainly looked the part on Sunday afternoon at Bud Walton Arena.

No. 16 Tennessee downed Arkansas 93-63 in front of 3,072 fans while hitting 12 3-pointers and scoring 28 points off 22 Razorback turnovers.

It was fourth loss in five games for Arkansas (8-11, 1-3) and came after a thrilling 59-58 win at Auburn on Thursday night.

“I don’t think we are numb to losing, we still hate to lose and it hurts and we hate it,” Arkansas head coach Mike Neighbors said. “But you couldn’t tell it in that autograph line out there.

“Every kid that came by, they were talking to and taking pictures and I know that is hard to do. But we will get to work and hopefully we will see some results on the scoreboard come (next Sunday against visiting) against Alabama.

The win broke a two-game losing streak for the Vols (14-2, 2-2), who won their first 13 games of the season under first-year head coach Kimberly Caldwell.

“I don’t think it was pretty, but it was good to get a win on the road against a good team,” Caldwell said. “So we will watch the film and try to continue to improve.”

Talaysi Cooper led Tennessee with 20 points while Zee Spearman added 18, Ruby Whitehorn 17 and Sara Puckett added 11 points and a game-high 9 rebounds.

The Vols also got a solid game from former Razorback Samara Spencer, who had 3 points, 8 assists and 4 rebounds.

“Look at how experienced Sam is in the league,” Neighbors said. “She had eight assists and no turnovers. She just ran her team, got them where they wanted and she probably should have more assists.

“…To see her play at that level, you hate it because she is not playing for us, but you have got to sit back and played her ass off.

“…I think she set the tone, but I think she learned a lot that stuff here, too. I am proud of what we helped her do, but she has taken it and gone to another level with it.”

Tennessee liberally subbed with 8 player seeing at least 9 minutes of action and nobody playing more than 24.

Izzy Higginbottom – the SEC’s leading scorer at 24.4 points per game – had 26 to lead Arkansas (8-11,1-3) while Carly Keats added 10.

Higginbottom, coming off a 36-point game at Auburn, had 18 of her points after intermission.

“She (Higginbottom) had a great game,” Caldwell said. “We fouled her 12 times. I thought we did a good job, but them in the second half she kind of took over.”

It was third time in four games that Arkansas had faced a top 16 team, including a road at No. 5 Texas and a home one with No. 6 LSU.

“It’s very, very important and I hope we are doing it because we don’t like to lose,” Neighbors said. “There is not one person on that team that didn’t think we had a chance to win, if we played well and caught them off.

“It’s very important. It’s hard, but we talk about reality world and some times it is not showing up on the scoreboard, the final score.

“I think if you are lazy and just look at a box score at the end, it is easy not habit the context that you need.”

Neighbors think that a majority of the SEC’s 16 teams would have gone 1-3 against the same four foes Arkansas has faced out of the gate.

“I think it is vitally important that we keep telling our kids what’s to come and I think that is where that Auburn game helped us so much,” Neighbors said. “Because they did see improvement in a game when we have a chance to win it.

“Be honest about it. We will have a better chance to win almost every game almost every game we play the rest of the way out. I mean there are still some teams at the top, but that is three of the top four of five.

…We are going to keep coaching it that way and I hope the kids are strong enough and have a good support system and don’t get discouraged by it.”

Arkansas does not have a mid-week game with a break before hosting No. 18 Alabama, who was 15-2 heading into Sunday’s game at Ole Miss, next Sunday.

“I hope we build it into our bye week,” Neighbors said. “I hope we have a good practices and we are able to get past it and be ready for an Alabama team that is very good, but I think coming off a bye we should be really ready for them.”

Photo courtesy of Razorbacks Communications