UA women fall to Vandy, drop to a 13 seed

VANDERBILT 78, ARKANSAS 73

The Arkansas women’s basketball team closed the regular season with a loss Sunday, but the Razorbacks won’t have to wait long to try to even the score.

The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville coughed up a four-point halftime lead to lose to Vanderbilt 78-73 at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tenn. The loss drops the Razorbacks (12-17, 3-13 SEC) to the No. 13 seed in this week’s SEC Tournament in Nashville, where they’ll face the No. 12 seed Commodores (7-23, 3-13) again Wednesday.

Jailyn Mason made a jumper with two seconds left in the first quarter as the Razorbacks grabbed a 20-19 lead. Arkansas rode that momentum to build a six-point lead three different times in the second quarter, the last on Raven Northcross-Baker’s three-pointer with 47 seconds

remaining for a 36-30 lead. Vanderbilt’s Cierra Walker made a shot at the buzzer to cut her team’s deficit to four.

The Commodores took a 49-48 lead heading into the fourth quarter, but the Razorbacks took their last lead at 5352 on a layup by Malica Monk with 8:18 to play. Vanderbilt responded with the next two baskets, but Devin Cosper’s three-pointer tied the game at 56-56.

Vanderbilt built a fivepoint lead, but Monk’s layup with 2:14 left tied it at 64-64.

Kayla Overbeck’s three-point play on the ensuing possession broke the tie, and Arkansas never was that close again.

Monk scored 17 points with 8 assists and 4 rebounds to lead the Razorbacks. Mason chipped in 14 points and Cosper added 13. Overbeck led all scorers with 24 points.

Arkansas made 29 of 71 shots (40.8 percent) and 9 of 36 three-pointers (25 percent). Vanderbilt hit 28 of 65 shots (43.1 percent) and 7 of 24 three-pointers (25 percent). The Commodores won the rebound battle 50-30.

In other SEC women’s games Sunday, Teaira McCowan had 20 points and 20 rebounds to match a career high, Victoria Vivians added 18 points and No. 2 Mississippi State (30-0, 16-0) routed Kentucky (14-16, 6-10) 85-63 and became the first SEC team to finish the regular season unbeaten in 20 years. … Rennia Davis had 18 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists and No. 15 Tennessee (236, 11-5) rallied for a 65-46 victory over No. 7 South Carolina (23-6, 12-4) — playing without star center A’ja Wilson, who didn’t travel to Knoxville because of vertigo. … Anriel Howard turned in her sixth consecutive double-double and became Texas A&M’s career and single-season rebounding record-holder as the No. 17 Aggies (22-8, 11-5) beat No. 11 Missouri (23-6, 11-5) 82-63. … Senior Mackenzie Engram and freshman Gabby Connally each scored 12 points and No. 19 Georgia (24-5, 12-4) beat Florida (11-18, 3-13) 63-43. … Ayana Mitchell scored a career-high 27 points on 11-of-13 shooting with 12 rebounds and a game-saving blocked shot with a second left and No. 24 LSU (19-8, 11-5) defeated Alabama 79-78 (17-12, 7-9) in overtime in the regular-season finale. … Daisa Alexander led all scorers with 21 points, Unique Thompson added 15 and Auburn (14-14, 5-11) managed to slip by Mississippi (11-18, 1-15) 60-55 on Senior Day and clinch the No. 10 seed in the SEC Tournament.