Arkansas defends home court, doubles up Arkansas-Pine Bluff in blowout

The last time Arkansas-Pine Bluff visited Bud Walton Arena, things went south in a hurry. The Golden Lions beat the Razorbacks for the first time in school history in 2023.

With a new chapter in Razorback basketball, the Hogs got sweet revenge, beating Pine Bluff 101-49 Friday in front of the second-largest crowd in Bud Walton History.

"Some of them may or may not have the opportunity to attend college," coach Kelsi Musick said. "This is a big deal for some of those kids, if not all of them. So they needed to show up and show out."

With 13,032 in the stands, most of them as part of Elementary Day, Arkansas made 15 three pointers, the most in a game since 2022 when they also made 15 against Alabama.

Musick pitched her dribble-drive offense in her opening press conference and her fast tempo. Two games in she's delievered on her promise to put points on the board.

"I told everyone we were going to play with energy and passion," Musick said. I think that we're really producing that, and it's going to continue. We still have a lot to work on, but we've come a long ways in the short amount of time and we're not going to stop."

Arkansas Razorbacks Jenna Lawrence during game against the UAPB Golden Lions at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark. | Nilsen Roman-allHOGS Images

Jenna Lawrence, who went to Farmington High School just 10 minutes from the stadium, finished with a career-high 26, including 5-for-5 from beyond the arc.

"I lost a lot of confidence in myself [the past two years], Lawrence said. "So just this whole offseason, I've just been doing pre-season. I've been working on getting that confidence back like I had in high school. Whenever I'm out there, just going 100% and doing what I can do."

Lawrence, who was on the 2022-23 team when the Razorbacks lost to the Lions, broke her previous career-high of 21 set against Bowling Green last season.

"We kind of had that in the back of our head the way that they came in 2 years ago and beat us on our home court," Lawrence said. "We had a sour taste in our mouth for that. But it's a new change. It's a new coach and everything, but we wanted to we wanted to beat them."

The Razorbacks had 53 points off the bench, including 12 from freshman guard Bonnie Deas, who continues to impress in her first taste of college basketball. Deas also had 11 rebounds and six assists in 23 minutes.

Arkansas Razorbacks guard Bonnie Deas during game against the UAPB Golden Lions at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark. | Nilsen Roman-allHOGS Images

Deas, who played professionally in Australia for the Sydney Flames in the Women's National Basketball League, has scored 37 points with 17 rebounds and nine assists across her first two games.

"Playing a bit of pro before has definitely helped me for moments like this with bigger crowds," Deas said. "Just my IQ, so I'm super thankful to Sydney. Coach has been great, giving me the green light, giving me confidence to do what I do."

Pine Bluff shot just 28.8% from the field (19-for-66) and scored more than 15 points in a quarter just once. After beating Memphis in their season opener 69-64, the Lions made just four three-pointers.

Arkansas welcomes a second in-state opponent in Central Arkansas. The Hogs and Bears will tip off 8 p.m. Monday. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network.

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