Arkansas overcomes rough start, advances to face Texas A&M

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Sophomore Kiara Williams led Arkansas with a career-high 25 points with 10 rebounds Wednesday as the 13th-seeded Razorbacks stopped a six-game skid to upset 12th-seeded Vanderbilt, 88-76, in the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

Arkansas (13-17) will face the fifth seed in the tournament, No. 15 Texas A&M (22-8), who rolled to a 104-60 rout of the Razorbacks last week. Tip-off is set for 25 minutes following the Alabama/Kentucky game, approximately 2 p.m. and will air on the SEC Network (Resort Channel 79).

Williams’ double-double marked her fourth on the season, and the Little Rock native shot 11-for-13 from the floor including a perfect 3-for-3 at the charity stripe in a career-high 32 minutes.

Four other Razorbacks finished in double-digits, including Malica Monk, whose 20 points included three long-range buckets. Jailyn Mason put up 14 points, graduate student Devin Cosper added 13 and junior Raven Northcross-Baker had 12.

Vanderbilt (7-24) rolled used a 9-0 run before the first media timeout to take a 13-7 lead, and the Commodores held the Razorbacks scoreless for almost four minutes before Bailey Zimmerman hit a 3-pointer to pull within two possessions. Arkansas closed out the period with a 2 of 15 stretch as Vanderbilt held on for a 20-13 advantage.

Arkansas hit a 7-3 run in the first two minutes of the quarter, putting the Razorbacks in striking position, but it was junior Keiryn Swenson’s six second-quarter points that helped propel Arkansas to a 37-32 lead at the break.

Both teams kicked up their offense in the second half, matching each other shot for shot to open the third. The score leveled three times in the period, Arkansas breaking the final tie on a 3-pointer from sophomore Jailyn Mason to take a lead that it never relinquished.

A trey by Northcross-Baker, a Malvern product, with just 35 seconds off the clock in the fourth put the Razorbacks ahead for their largest lead to that point, stretching the advantage out to 18 by the 2:37 mark before Vanderbilt closed out the game on a 6-0 run.

Wednesday’s game was the second in four days for the two teams as the Commodores defeated Arkansas 78-73 on Sunday.

Special to The Sentinel-Record/Alan Jamison CAREER NIGHT: Arkansas forward Kiara Williams (10) drives past Vanderbilt’s Erin Whalen in an SEC Tournament game Wednesday in Nashville, Tenn. Williams had a career-high 25 points as she led the Razorbacks to an 88-76 win over the Commodores.