Hogs Respond to South Carolina Run, But Not Enough in 61-52 Loss
After a 15-0 run by South Carolina in the third quarter, Arkansas coach Mike Neighbors had seen just about enough.
He called a timeout, then proceeded to get onto them as hard as he has all year.
"I did not like what it looked like out there for that little spurt," Neighbors said after a 61-52 loss to the No. 1 Gamecocks Sunday afternoon at Bud Walton Arena. "I told them we had a great crowd out there on a snowy day and they did not come to see that. And man, did they respond."
The Razorbacks responded with an identical 15-0 run of its own.
Arkansas coach Mike Neighbors reacts to an official's call during a 61-52 loss to South Carolina on Sunday afternoon.
Arkansas Razorbacks coach Mike Neighbors on the sidelines during a game against South Carolina at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark., on Jan. 16, 2022. (Andy Hodges / allHOGS Images)
The Gamecocks' Aliyah Boston hit two free throws and Brea Beal took a gift of an inbound pass and scored to push a four-point lead to eight in a matter of seconds with 3:56 remaining.
The Hogs never recovered.
"It gives me a lot of hope for what we've got," Neighbors said.
South Carolina came in the top-ranked team in the country and it wasn't hard to see why. Neighbors has had them there all season.
"I don’t think they get talked about enough for how they’ve been dominating this year," Neighbors said.
That lofty ranking was part of what caused the Hogs' little down stretch in the third quarter.
"They’re up X number of points when they get off the bus right now,” Neighbors said. “We’ve got to learn to not let that happen and we got punched. They punched us right there. First time for a lot of our kids to see the No. 1 team in the country."
Jersey Wolfenbarger goes inside for an under-hand layup against South Carolina on Sunday afternoon.
Andy Hodges / allHOGS Images
He's hoping that pays big dividends in the future.
The game was a defensive battle, with neither team topping 18 points in any of the quarters.
The two teams traded 15-0 runs in the second half, but it was the experience of the country’s top team that helped South Carolina pull away in the final minutes.
The Gamecocks received big performances from Destanni Henderson and Boston, who each went for 19 points. Boston added 13 rebounds in her double-double game.
Makayla Daniels led the Hogs with 17 points and Amber Ramirez added 14.
Game Notes
• Arkansas held South Carolina to its second-lowest scoring effort of the season, with Duke being the only team to hold the Gamecocks to fewer than 61 points (55).
• South Carolina committed 19 turnovers as a result of the Razorbacks swarming defense.
• Jersey Wolfenbarger made a difference on the defensive side, helping lock down Boston in the second half and finishing with a team high +13.
Next Game
The Hogs will hit the road Thursday to face Alabama.
That game is set to tip-off at 8 p.m. and will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
Information, Game notes included in this story from Arkansas Communications.
• Graphix look back at Hogs' football
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