‘Faster’ Razorbacks rediscover swagger
FAYETTEVILLE — Mike Neighbors admitted his team had its confidence shaken after a recent stretch of losses, but Thursday was a perfect remedy.
The high-octane University of Arkansas offense shredded one of the top defenses in the country statistically to hand No. 3 Connecticut a 90-87 defeat at sold-out Walton Arena.
“We were a little bit faster [Thursday],” said Neighbors, whose team had lost four of its previous five, all to teams ranked in the top 25. “I know we’ve been slower, but not many put 90 on UConn, historically. So I think we got back to being a little better version of ourselves.”
The Huskies (10-1) hadn’t allowed 90 points in a game during regulation since 2001. It’s also UConn’s first loss to a team outside the top 10 since 2012.
Arkansas also took care of the ball, especially late, against that Huskies. The Razorbacks finished with nine turnovers, but just two in the second half — one in each quarter.
The Razorbacks (12-6) landed an 11-0 run to start the second half, part of a 31-point third quarter that Neighbors said was key to the victory. It was especially big since Arkansas had endured a pair of gut-wrenching losses in the waning seconds already this season.
“What we did, we won the game in the middle half of the game,” Neighbors said. “You didn’t have to win it at the end.”
Trailing by two at halftime, Arkansas outscored UConn 31-19 and led by as many as 13, settling for a 10-point advantage going into the final quarter.
The Razorbacks made 12 of 17 shots from the floor and 6 of 7 three-pointers in the quarter, helping them shoot better than 50% for the game in both categories. They did that against a defense that’s holding opponents to 32.2%, which ranks second in the country.
Arkansas shot the Huskies out of their zone, and they couldn’t keep the Chelsea Dungee-led Razorbacks out of the paint using a manto-man defense. The Razorbacks’ 13 made three-pointers also tied a record for Huskies’ opponents.
Dungee poured in a game-high 37 points. The 5-11 senior, who leads the SEC in scoring, notched her 11th 30-point game of her career, the most ever by a Razorback. It was also the most points scored by an opposing player against UConn since the 1999-2000 season.
Dungee, who transferred to Arkansas after her freshman season at the University of Oklahoma, struggled to put into words what the victory meant.
“I’m so happy for our program, and for our state,” Dungee said. “I think that was a huge momentum swing for the rest of the season. I think we needed that.
“I knew what a big opportunity it was for our team, for our program. I just wanted to come out with as much energy as I could. I just wanted to fuel our team.”
She said the win over UConn is even bigger than the earlier one against thenNo. 4 Baylor in early December.
The Razorbacks earned the win despite having six players (no starters) in covid-19 protocol, which meant only eight were available. The adversity strengthened the team’s resolve, Dungee said.
“We were down a few tonight, and I think that brought us closer together,” said Dungee, who along with Amber Ramirez played nearly 39 minutes. “We needed each other.”
Neighbors said his team, which trailed by four after a quarter and by two at halftime, had a few nerves early.
“Listen, UConn walks out there with uniforms only one team in the country has and sweats that only one team in the country has,” Neighbors said. “And a letter from Kobe Bryant’s daughter on their warm-up shirt. You can’t help but be down a few points.”
Neighbors talked earlier in the week about his relationship with Huskies Coach Geno Auriemma and what he’s meant to the women’s game. They talked briefly after the game, but that probably won’t be the last word on it.
There’s also an agreement for a return game in Storrs in the future.
“We’ll talk about it, and he’ll gig me about it,” Neighbors said. “But I guarantee you this won’t be the last time we play, either. That return game just got a little more interesting I think.”