Dungee’s big night helps Arkansas to WNIT win

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas guard Chelsea Dungee has made big shot after big shot all season, and that didn’t change Thursday night in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament.

The 5-11 sophomore poured in a game-high 37 points to help the Razorbacks shake off a determined Houston team to notch an 88-80 win in Bud Walton Arena in front of a vocal announced crowd of 3,689.

Razorbacks coach Mike Neighbors said having Dungee makes a coach’s job easier as Dungee’s big three-point play helped give Arkansas (2114) some separation in overtime and turn the lights out on the Cougars.

“She’s just a killer,” Neighbors said. “That killer gene, there’s a lot of big-time scorers that don’t have the killer gene. She’s got that ‘get-methe-ball’ that Jimmy Chitwood gene or whoever we want to reference.

“That makes you sleep good at night when you don’t have to be some guru, genius,” Neighbors said. “Let’s move some people around and matchup.”

Dungee drove at the goal and powered the ball up for the basket and drew the foul. She made the ensuing free throw to put Arkansas up 7873 with 3 minutes, 44 seconds left in overtime and Houston never got closer than three the rest of the way.

Houston obviously had problems containing Dungee all night long, making 10 of 19 field goals, including two 3-pointers. But she was also able to get to the free-throw line and take advantage there, too. She made 15 of 17 from the foul line, and even Dungee said that’s a key to her game.

“I think getting to the freethrow line so many times per game draws attention itself because that’s something each team wants to eliminate,” Dungee said. “I really think you just have to guard us fairly.”

Dungee did just that drawing a foul in the final minute of regulation and making both free throws to tie the game at 73 with 19.2 seconds remaining and help the Razorbacks force overtime after a Houston miss.

Houston coach Ronald Hughey compared Dungee to Kobe Bryant.

“We called her a three-level scorer with four-point range,” Hughey said with a laugh. “She can go right, finish at the rim with a pull-up at 15-feet. She can go left, finish at the rim with a pull-up at 15 feet. She can shoot it at the regular 3-point line. She can shoot it four feet behind the 3-point line.

“It’s extremely difficult because she can create space for her shot. She can get into you and be able to get a step back and she’s long enough … to shoot over the top of the defense. So I saw why the SEC, watching all those game, had trouble with her.”

Senior teammate Malica Monk said having a player like Dungee is special.

“You can put the ball in her hands and know that she’s going to go and get a foul,” Monk said. “Everybody has trust in her, not just me out there. Whenever it’s a tough game or a close game, we know we can get the ball to Chelsea at any given moment we know she’s going to get to the free-throw line and get a foul and of course, make her free throws.”

Dungee broke Arkansas’ single-season scoring record, which was held by Shelly Wallace. She came into the game five points away from Wallace’s total of 692 and surpassed it with a 3-pointer with 58 seconds left in the first quarter. Wallace set the mark during the 1988-89 season.

Dungee knew about the record before the game but was only concentrating on winning and advancing.

“I knew about it before the game,” Dungee said. “I wasn’t too concerned about it. I just wanted to play for my team. I wanted to get this win and make it as far as we can in this tournament.