FAYETTEVILLE -- After getting worked over on the boards and shooting a paltry 29 percent from the floor, Arkansas used a little more effort and some timely shooting come away with a 73-72 victory over UNC-Charlotte on Thursday night in Walton Arena.
Senior Devin Cosper scored 16 of her game-high 25 points, including a huge three-pointer with less than a minute left, to give the Razorbacks a two possession lead.
Arkansas Coach Mike Neighbors said there were some simple changes that made the difference in the second half for his team. The Razorbacks (6-3) were outrebounded 34-16 in the first half, but enjoyed a 29-24 advantage on the boards in the final two quarters.
"Super, super proud of our ability at halftime to get some things fixed," said Neighbors, whose team trailed 37-30 at halftime and led only a a couple of times. "It wasn't a lot. It was play a little bit harder and have a little more attention to detail. Clean up some easy things and I thought in the second half we played really good."
Still, UNC-Charlotte (3-6) took a 64-63 lead on a layup by Octavia Wilson with 2:16 seconds left. But Arkansas responded with a 7-0 spurt punctuated by Cosper's three-pointer on a kick-out pass from Malica Monk to lead 70-64 with 53 seconds remaining.
Jailyn Mason made two free throws with less than a second left to give the Razorbacks a four-point lead, which was necessary since Amaya Ransom hit a three-pointer at the buzzer.
Monk and Mason were also in double figures for Arkansas with 15 and 12 points, respectively. Cosper completed her double-double with a team-high 14 rebounds, while sophomore Kiara Williams was close with 9 points, 12 rebounds to go with 4 steals.
Neighbors said Cosper got the Razorbacks going in the second half.
"Dev didn't start yelling at anybody or say 'Come on.' She just quietly went on and continued to do her business. I thought tonight was a big step for Dev because she hit that big shot. We've been missing those. Not just her, but everybody and tonight we hit one. When we really needed that three in transition that made it a two-possession game. So that's some progress there."
Guard Laia Raventos led the 49ers with 17 points, while Jaida Robins added 15 and Ransom 14. Dara Pearson, a 6-2 sophomore, also finished with a game-high 19 rebounds, including 12 in the first half.
Arkansas continues its homestand by hosting Tulsa at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
SOUTHLAND WOMEN
CENTRAL ARKANSAS 85,
CENTRAL BAPTIST 34
The University of Central Arkansas (5-2) raced out to a 40-20 halftime lead and never looked back against Central Baptist (6-3) at the Farris Center in Conway.
The Sugar Bears led 21-11 after the first quarter before opening their 20-point advantage at the intermission. UCA outscored CBC 16-2 in the third quarter for a 56-22 lead.
Taylor Baudoin led four UCA players in double figures with 22 points.
Antonija Bozic had 18, while Maddie Goodner chipped in 13 and Taylor Sells
10.
Emily Gardner led the Lady Mustangs with 10 points.
Sports on 12/08/2017