GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Arkansas women’s basketball team (17-8, 5-5 SEC) took a 10-point lead going into the fourth quarter but could not close things out at Florida (12-9, 3-6 SEC), dropping Thursday’s game, 85-81. Arkansas was scoreless for the remaining 3:20 of the contest, while being outscored 24-10 in the final 10 minutes of the game. The Hogs were led by Makayla Daniels, who dropped a season-high 26 points, and Taliah Scott’s 20 points in her homecoming back in the Sunshine State.
Florida got on the board first with a second-chance layup, but Samara Spencer answered with a layup off a steal. Arkansas went 0-for-4 from the field until Saylor Poffenbarger knocked down a triple. After Florida was in a scoring drought for over 2.5 minutes, the Gators dug themselves out with a second-chance jumper, and at the media timeout taken at the 4:31 mark, the game was tied at 7-7. Florida went on an 11-0 run, while Arkansas was held in a scoring drought for over three minutes, forcing the Hogs to call a timeout. With 2:42 left in the first quarter, Arkansas trailed 16-7. Out of the break, Poffenbarger knocked down her second triple of the night to dig to Hogs out of the hole and Maryam Dauda had one of her own, as the ball bounced into the net. The Gators closed out the quarter going 4-of-4 from the free throw line to lead the Hogs after one quarter, 22-13.
Arkansas tied a quarter scoring record with a 35-point second quarter. The Hogs opened that quarter with a layup by Emrie Ellis off an assist from Karley Johnson, which started a 6-2 run for Arkansas. Scott knocked down a triple off an offensive rebound from Johnson. Daniels then made a triple off a second-chance opportunity to pull the Hogs ahead 29-27, as the Gators called a timeout with 5:42 left in the second quarter. Florida responded out of the break with a game-tying layup, but Daniels came up with another answer with her second triple. The Gators then made back-to-back 3-pointers to retake the lead, 35-32, with four minutes left in the first half. The Gators went on a 6-2 run, but Arkansas closed things out on 12-2 run in the remaining two minutes of the half. Daniels knocked down back-to-back triples and Poffenbarger delivered a nice layup with 19 seconds left in the half to tie the game. Poffenbarger then picked off a pass from Florida and took it all the way down the court to put in a layup at the buzzer. The Hogs then pulled ahead for the first time since the beginning of the game with a 48-46 advantage at the half.
The Gators retook the lead after making two 3-pointers, but Daniels helped the Hogs retake the lead with a tough take to the basket. Arkansas then cruised on a 9-0 run, as Daniels knocked down her fifth 3-pointer of the game, pulling the Hogs back ahead. Florida, in a two-minute scoring drought, broke it with a 3-pointer, and at the media timeout taken at the 4:15 mark, Arkansas led, 61-57. Spencer delivered an and-1 and Scott knocked down a triple. Scott then delivered a jumper, as the Hogs led 71-61 going into the final quarter.
Florida began the quarter on a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to three, but Scott answered with a tough layup and Poffenbarger banked in a wild 3-pointer as the shot clock was expiring. The Gators responded with a layup and 3-pointer to then cut the deficit back to three. At the media timeout taken at the 5:55 mark, Arkansas led, 76-73. Out of the break, Florida continued its momentum, and turned it into an 11-0 run, as Florida had back-to-back layups off steals. With 4:10 left in the game, Arkansas trailed 79-76. Out of the break, Daniels was aggressive to the basket and delivered a layup and was fouled in the process. She converted the 3-point play to tie the game back up, but Florida pulled back ahead with a triple. Spencer had a quick layup to pull back within one, and with 2:01 left in the game, Arkansas trailed 82-81. After both teams were held in a scoring drought for over two minutes, Florida knocked down two free throws to lead, 84-81, with 55 seconds left in the game. After a stop on defense for the Hogs, Arkansas got the ball back, down by three, with 17 seconds left in the game, but Daniels’ shot rattled out. The Hogs fell, 85-81.
The Hogs will stay on the road to play at Tennessee on Monday at 6 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network from Thompson-Boling Arena.
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