Arkansas had to work for it Monday night, but the Razorbacks found enough late to turn away Kansas City 89-81 at Bud Walton Arena and move to 3-0.
The Roos, fresh off a win over Wichita State on Friday, pushed Arkansas harder than either of its first two opponents. The game stayed tight into the fourth quarter, and Kansas City kept hanging around after Arkansas had built a double-digit cushion in the second period. By the end of the third, the Razorbacks were up 66-61, but the visitors were still within striking distance.
Whitley Rogers delivered the biggest shot of the night when she buried a three to stretch the lead to 85-77. She then sealed it by knocking down two free throws as Arkansas closed out the win.
“It’s a teaching moment,” Musick said. “It teaches us to maintain composure.
It teaches us how to listen and execute in tight situations, and it teaches us to rise up to the occasion, which we I felt like we did, and those things are important. Whether it’s getting a big stop, making a big bucket, getting a big rebound, all of that is important, especially as that clock is ticking down and and people are within range.”
It was the first time this season Arkansas had been pushed into a four-quarter game, and it came with plenty of bumps along the way. The Razorbacks’ physical night included 57 fouls in all, and both Kyiah Prestridge and Daniah Trammell fouled out.
“I think we just have to recognize that and make those adjustments quicker to try to stay out of foul trouble,” Musick said. Sometimes we gambled a little a few times that put us in a bad situation, and so I think picking and choosing when we gamble or when we get a trap, we’ve got to we’ve got to make some better decisions.
But that’s what we just talked about. You know we got to learn from film because it’s sometimes hard to rep the defense full court in practice.
So I think just really honing in and being able to be focused in a film session is going to help us a lot.”
Prestridge led Arkansas with 18 points, while Rogers added 17. D’Asia Thomas-Harris posted a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
“D’Asia came up with some some really big rebounds,” Musick said. “I think the the fact that we are crashing the boards hard, we got to get our guards crashing as well. But I think D’Asia does a good job in the offense of putting yourself in position to to be on that relocation to be able to get those rebounds.”
Arkansas now turns to Arkansas-Pine Bluff, with the in-state matchup set for 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Bud Walton Arena. The Golden Lions are 1-2 and picked up their first win Monday against Arkansas Baptist.
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Braeden McAlister is now in the mix as a possible option for the longer attempts, which gives Arkansas a decision to make on how it wants to handle pressure kicks going forward. Teams can live with inconsistency at a lot of spots, but not when points are being left on the field in tight games, and the Razorbacks appear ready to explore a change before the next close one turns on the same issue again. [Read more 🡒]
Arkansas Fans Wont Love Cramseys Sack Blame Game
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The Razorbacks have already allowed 23 sacks through nine games, a number that underscores how often the offense has been put behind the chains. Cramseys point was less about assigning blame than about execution, with Arkansas needing cleaner work from every piece of the offense if it wants to cut down on sacks and the negative plays that keep drives from getting started. [Read more 🡒]