FAYETTEVILLE - Three freshmen once again gave Arkansas a big lift in another lopsided victory Saturday afternoon.
Kelsey Brooks, Jessica Jackson and McKenzie Adams combined for 41 points and the Razorbacks built a big first-half cushion to overcome a sloppy second half in a 74-45 victory over Furman at Walton Arena.
Senior Keira Peak hit 7 of 10 free throws and finished with 11 points for Arkansas (3-0), which committed 17 turnovers but scored 28 points off 22 Furman (1-2) turnovers.
The Razorbacks led 39-19 at the half.
“There were a lot of good things that happened today,” Razorbacks Coach Tom Collen said. “I thought we executed pretty well in the first half and our defense was solid. We came out of the locker room still focused, but when you get up by 20, 30 points, it’s easy to lose focus and turn the ball over.
“I’m trying to demand excellence until the end, but that’s hard sometimes.”
Despite a second half where Arkansas had 10 turnovers, it maintained its sizable lead behind 56 percent shooting (15 of 27) the final 20 minutes. For the game, the Razorbacks were just 4 of 16 from three-point range, but scored 48 points in the lane and 17 on fast breaks.
Brooks, who had just two points in the first half, shot 7 of 10 and had 3 steals.
“In the first half I really struggled,” said Brooks, who is averaging 16 points per game. “It was good to be able to hit some shots in the second half.”
Jackson, the team’s leading scorer, started hot. She scored seven of her 13 points in the opening four minutes and Arkansas jumped ahead 22-9 midway through the first half. That lead grew to as many as 21 in the first half.
“We just had too many lapses and too many reckless turnovers,” Furman Coach Jackie Carson said of the first half. “We were not doing what we were prepared for and Arkansas capitalized on that.”
Brooks took advantage for the Razorbacks during her second-half spurt. Furman got as close as 17 points midway through the second half, but Brooks scored 12 points over a four minute-span, including 2 three-pointers, and Arkansas led 63-34 with 10:45 remaining.
“After having a bad first half, Kelsey really looked fatigued in the locker room,” Collen said. “She was frustrated she wasn’t scoring. It was just freshman woes. I talked to her at halftime [and] she came out in the second half and lit it up. She became more determined and was a big spark for us.”
Calli Berna, who has been battling illness in recent days and played sparingly in the second half, added 7 points, 8 assists and 2 steals with 2 turnovers in 26 minutes.
“We got comfortable in the second half and we can’t do that,” Adams said. “[Furman] was still playing hard.”
Eleven players had at least seven minutes for Arkansas, which expects its toughest test of the early season Tuesday when it hosts Middle Tennessee State (2-1). The Blue Raiders beat Miami (Fla.) on the road 61-55 on Friday and led Tennessee by 12 before losing 67-57 in their season opener.
“I thought this Furman team was a better level of competition for us so far,” Collen said. “We have really good competition coming up. Now is the time to get focused.”
Sports, Pages 31 on 11/17/2013