Razorbacks Tournament Chances Slipping Away After Tennessee

Hogs at risk of missing NCAA tournament for second straight season

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Arkansas fell below .500 with its second straight loss and a season-low in points, 81-55, to the Tennessee Volunteers. Both teams entered the night on opposite ends of the bubble. In ESPN's latest Bracketology, the Volunteers are one of the last four teams with a first-round bye, while the Razorbacks are the eighth team out. 

Arkansas continued to follow a consistent theme, starting slow as Tennessee scored the game's first 12 points. The Razorbacks survived an early injury scare as Saylor Poffenbarger and Samara Spencer collided into one another just a few minutes into the game. Both players would be fine. Poffenbarger returned after less than a minute of game time. 

Arkansas struggled in two key areas early – shooting and rebounding. Tennessee out-rebounded Arkansas 17-7 in the first quarter and 57-29 for the game, including five key offensive rebounds. Rickea Jackson finished with 17 of her 21 points in the first half on 7-for-17 shooting.

Arkansas never found its range from deep, but continuously showed no fear of jacking up threes. Back-to-back shots from Jenna Lawrence and Maryam Dauda put the Razorbacks on a quick 6-0 run, but Arkansas finished the first half 6-for-21 from beyond the arc and trailed 40-24 at halftime. Dauda and Poffenbarger also each had three fouls at intermission.

Taliah Scott led the way with 23 points, but shot 10-for-27 from the floor. Tennessee never let go of the momentum, outscoring Arkansas 23-13 and never let the lead slip below 15 the entire second half.

The Razorbacks return home against Missouri 3 p.m. Feb. 18. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network and fuboTV.

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