Sharp-shooting Higginbottom helps power Arkansas women to 34-point exhibition win

BV DUDLEY E. DAWSON

FAYETTEVILLE – It wasn’t the first time Izzy Higginbottom lit up the scoreboard at Bud Walton Arena, but it was the first time in an Arkansas uniform.

Arkansas State transfer Higginbottom torched the nets for 26 points, dished, had nine assists and six rebounds as Arkansas downed Northeastern State 88-54 Friday night in a women’s college basketball exhibition action.

“She’s so deceptive,” Arkansas coach Mike Neighbors said. “She has crossed up almost every one of our men’s practice players to the ground this year. It’s just a lot of misinformation and deception. You think you’ve got her and the next thing you know, she’s by you.”

It was the culmination of a dream for Higginbottom, who started her career at Missouri and played for a year before heading to Jonesboro and playing three seasons.

Higginbottom, who was 9 of 18 from field overall 1 of 2 from 3-point and hit 7 of her 8 free throws, had 18 points in the first quarter and 21 by halftime.

That included a stretch where she scored 14 points in a 25-3 Arkansas run to close out the first quarter and open the second.

“I was just taking what the defense gives,” Higginbottom said. “Seeing lanes, seeing who was open and just getting to my spots.”

Sophomore Jenna Lawrence buried five 3-pointers while scoring 15 points for Arkansas while Maryn Archer added 13 and Carly Keats 8.

“In our first 20 practices, when she (Higginbottom) passes it to Jenna,” Neighbors said of Higginbottom, “Jenna’s shooting like 70%. When others pass it to Jenna it goes down, because she throws a perfect strike. It’s at the right time. It’s on target almost every time.”

Vera Ojenuwa, a 6-4 junior college transfer, had 8 points and a team-high 13 rebounds.

“I think she’s going to get better at it, too,” Neighbors. “She got her hands on a couple (rebounds) that she didn’t corral.”

Ojenuwa, who is from Lagos, Nigeria, has gotten stronger since arriving from Butler County (Kan.) Community College per Neighbors.

“If y’all would have seen her when we first got her on campus, and see how far she’s come in the strength and conditioning area and in the nutrition area, (but) she’s still got a long way to go before she reaches her ceiling,” Neighbors said.

Arkansas was without freshman guard Phoenix Stotijn and Neighbors said his team will be without the Harrlem, Netherlands native for the first semester.

“She did not get an NCAA waiver that we hoped that she would get, so she’ll have to be out until the second semester,” Neighbors said. “It was something we knew was a potential to happen.

“We were hoping for better news. We didn’t get it. So, it’s a little unfortunate, because we had really high hopes of being able to play her and Izzy off of each other.”

Reese Shirey, a former Farmington teammate of Lawrence, had 8 points for Northeastern State.

She is the daughter of Amber Shirey, a former Arkansas star and current director of operations.

“She’s such a good kid,” Neighbors said. “I begged and begged Amber for her to come here and follow, wear No. 11 here. But I think she has a really good plan for what she’s going to do, and she’s obviously earned the starting spot as a freshman.

“…We’ve watched her play for years and I’ve watched her grow up, so it was a fun game for us to do. Amber was the most nervous person in the building all night long.”

Neighbors announced that Arkansas will play in a closed-door scrimmage at TCU on Oct. 27 before opening its season Nov. 4 with Fairfield, who won 30 games last season.

“We know a lot more right this second and I’ll know a ton more tomorrow,” Neighbors said of watching video of the game…We’ll get a big test when we got to TCU next Sunday.”

Photo courtesy of Razorbacks Communications