Razorbacks Split Pair of Games in Fort Myers Tip-off
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Arkansas has finally lost a game this year. It took playing to the last game in the Fort Myers Tip-off, the Razorbacks split a pair of games against Wisconsin in the semifinals, then Marquette in the championship game.
Here's a roundup of what went on in the three games that concluded with the championship Saturday.
Arkansas vs. Wisconsin
Arkansas relied on a second-half comeback in the semi-finals against Wisconsin. Guards Taliah Scott and Samara Spencer combined for 4-for-14 from the field in the first quarter as Wisconsin jumped out to an early 18-12 lead.
Makayla Daniels came to life in the second half, with 14 of her 22 points in the second half. The Razorbacks wiped out a 32-25 deficit to draw level at 46 by the end of the third quarter. Taliah Scott pitched into the comeback with 10 of her 18 points in the second half as well. Scott has now scored more than 15 points in all seven games of the season. The Hogs stretched the lead to nine with just 3:19 left to go thanks to a pair of Daniels free throws.
"(Daniels) was the voice of reason of there," Neighbors said. "The calming talk in the timeouts when I got too fired up or too low. The value of a kid like that, we'll never be able to measure it."
Wisconsin would not go away. Back-to-back Badger layups cut the lead to five. The Razorbacks survived a wild final sequence clinging to a three-point lead with 13.6 seconds left. Suffocating defense from Daniels forced an airball on the triple, but on the ensuing battle for the rebound, a jump ball gave Wisconsin another shot thanks to the possession arrow. The final shot was well inside the three-point arc as the Hogs hung on for a 65-62 win and advanced to the final to take on the Marquette Golden Eagles. The Golden Eagles defeated Boston College in the other semi-final.
Arkansas vs. Marquette
Arkansas would not recover from its slow start in the final as Marquette ran away with the title game 74-58 in wire-to-wire fashion. The Razorbacks were held to just three points in the first seven minutes of the game as Marquette punished every Hog mistake. Marquette turned 14 Razorback turnovers into 18 points to go along with nine second-chance points, out-rebounding the Hogs 41-32.
The Razorbacks never recovered from a 25-11 first-quarter deficit. The usually reliable Taliah Scott was held in check for the first three quarters, with 14 of her 21 points coming in the fourth quarter after the game was already out of hand. Marquette led by as many 28 as the Hogs had no answer for Marquette's Liza Karlin, who finished the day with 20 points on 9-of-15 from the floor.
The Razorbacks got within 15 in the second half due to a quick 8-0 run, with five of Saylor Poffenbarger's 13 points coming on back-to-back possessions, but Marquette cruised to the championship.
Arkansas now goes on the road to face Florida State Nov. 30 at 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 and fuboTV.
HOGS FEED:
NATIONAL MEDIA MAY BE CHANGING ENTIRE NARRATIVE TOWARDS RAZORBACKS' PITTMAN
RAZORBACKS' SAM PITTMAN HAVING SOME AWKWARD COMMENTS TO MEDA WHERE SIMPLICITY WOULD WORK
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