Method to madness: Arkansas' offseason training pays off for 3-0 start over UCA

Razorbacks' extra conditioning keeps undefeated Musick era alive for Razorbacks

Arkansas Razorbacks coach Kelsi Musick on the sidelines during game against UCA Sugar Bears at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark. | Munir El-Khatib-allHOGS Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas closed the game on a 22-3 run in the fourth quarter and overtime to storm back to beat the Central Arkansas Bears 89-77 and keep an undefeated record intact under coach Kelsi Musick.

With just 2:37 left in the game, Arkansas found itself down, 74-67, and stared down the barrel of a different outcome, the first loss in school history to their in-state opponents. The Razorbacks were 6-0 all-time against the Bears coming into the game.

Razorbacks freshman Bonnie Deas hit a three to cut the lead to just three, finishing with her second straight double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds.

18 POINTS FOR BONNIE! pic.twitter.com/USMWYGx4ob

— Razorback Women's Basketball (@RazorbackWBB) November 11, 2025

The Hogs got a game-tying three from Emily Robinson with just 12 seconds left. Robinson, who transferred from Oral Roberts with Musick, kept her calm under pressure.

"You just need to treat it like any normal shot," Robinson said. "We've been playing basketball since we were really young. At the end of the day, it's just a sport that we play. You just don't need to overthink."

Arkansas took over in overtime. Maria Rodriguez and Harmonie Ware both scored six points each in the bonus period.

Central Arkansas made just one field goal in overtime. Musick credits the team's performance to the offseason conditioning her team put in.

"I always tease them that there's a method to my madness," Musick said. "Tonight it paid off, and they were able to see the fruits of their labor, that those early morning runs paid off, that we were still able to make our free throws, play 45 minutes, we hit a couple of huge threes down the stretch."

The two teams saw tangible differences in their legs in overtime. The Razorbacks went 8-for-10 from the free throw line while the Bears were 1-for-4.

For most of the first half, Arkansas struggled with the deliberate slow tempo that Central Arkansas used to slow the Hogs' frenetic offensive pace on the other side of the ball. The trio of Cheyanne Kemp, Bree Stephens and Shae Littleford combined for 51 points.

The Bears opened the second quarter on a 14-0 run to stretch the lead to double-digits.

"The biggest thing is we didn't get up and guard like we intended," Musick said. "I thought we needed to get up and guard harder early, and we didn't do that until later in the game, and we needed to be doing that from the tip."

Stephens also finished with a game-high 16 rebounds.

Central Arkansas saw the three-pointing shooting dissapear in the second half. After going for 5-for-11 in the first half, the Bears only went 2-for-13 in the second half.

The Bears had the chance to hold for the final shot with 12 seconds left, but the Hogs held their own to force overtime.

"We learned a lot," Deas said. "We'll have a lot of film to watch as well. We'll just learn a lot from this game."

The Hogs finish their four-game homestand to start the season against Southeastern Louisiana. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday and will be streamed on SEC+.