Arkansas wins in Oxford

OXFORD, Miss. – Three players in double figures paced the University of Arkansas women’s basketball team to an important Southeastern Conference win at Ole Miss Thursday, 56-53.

Arkansas (17-8, 5-8 SEC) got 14 points from sophomore Sarah Watkins and double-doubles from junior C’eira Ricketts with 12 points and 11 rebounds, and junior AshleyDaniels with 10 points and 10 rebounds. The win is a program first snapping a 13-game losing streak in Oxford and a four-game skid this season.

"Well the win is great," said Arkansas head coach Tom Collen. "We’re still in this thing. We’re still fighting and we had to find a way to get this win. It was a great, balanced effort. Ashley continued to play well. C’eira didn’t have a great shooting night but still found a way to contribute."

Arkansas was both solid and balanced in the first half led by seven points in nine minutes from Watkins and six points and seven rebounds from Daniels.

Ole Miss made some defensive adjustments and quickly erased the Razorbacks’ 12 point halftime lead. Although the Razorbacks never trailed in the second half, Ole Miss cut the lead to two, 49-47, with 3:50 to play.

As the game tightened up, the Razorbacks looked to its leaders to lift them. Up two, 51-49, Arkansas missed a three-point attempt. Watkins grabbed a rebound, and finger rolled it up and in.

She was fouled on the rebound and converted on the bonus shot for a traditional three-point play.

"That was a big play, probably the biggest of the game," Collen said. "It really gave us a boost and was the spark we needed to finish."

Arkansas finished the game shooting 36.9 percent on 24-for-65 shooting. They were 6-for-10 from the line and just 2-for-12 from the three-point line. Arkansas grabbed 45 rebounds and committed just nine turnovers in the win.

Arkansas returns to Bud Walton hosting LSU in the team’s annual Pink Game Sunday, at 2 p.m.