While Chelsea Dungee probably rested after her Wonder Woman impersonation, Mike Neighbors decided to play Superman on Friday.
Neighbors, the Arkansas women's basketball coach, did not sleep after the No. 19 Razorbacks outlasted No. 3 UConn, 90-87, Thursday night at Bud Walton Arena. It was a victory for the ages and Neighbors wanted to take advantage of an opportunity to bask in the sunlight.
Neighbors was too excited to shut his eyes even for a few minutes. When he arrived home Thursday night it was time to answer several hundred texts, many from his many contacts still awake on the West Coast.
"Then, my phone started blowing up from my East Coast buddies waking up," Neighbors said on Halftime, the midday radio show on ESPN Arkansas.
Neighbors answered every text, plus he accepted every interview request, cramming them in ahead of a practice that included a fun video review of the victory.
"Why do it if you can't enjoy it?" he said.
It was one of seven radio interviews Neighbors said were on his schedule after the program's monumental victory over the Huskies, the 11-time national champs and losers for the first time in 11 games this season.
The Razorbacks used a 31-point third quarter to build a 13-point lead. UConn rallied to hold the lead briefly in the fourth quarter.
Dungee scored 37 points, including 22 in the second half. There have been some wonderful home scoring performances in Bud Walton Arena of late, but none were against an opponent like UConn.
The Huskies tried to stop Dungee with man-to-man defense, but they were in a zone in that magical third quarter when foul trouble was mounting for the visitors.
Neighbors said Dungee had "the look" of a champion all day Thursday, something he's seen a few other times over the last three seasons. She generally brings her 'A' game with that look.
"And, (UConn) made a mistake," he said. "You don't poke the bear in the eye. They blocked one of her shots early and started talking to her about it."
Dungee hit another gear, something she's done in Walton Arena before. It was the fourth time in her career to score 37 or more points at home.
Rotnei Clark set the Razorback record at Bud Walton Arena with 51 points, but that was against Alcorn State. That's not like scorching the Huskies.
Here are the 11 performances of at least 37 points by a Razorback at the arena, four of which were by Dungee:
Rotnei Clarke, 51, Alcorn State, Nov. 13, 2009
Mason Jones, 41, Tulsa, Dec. 14, 2019
Chelsea Dungee, 41, Auburn, Feb. 10, 2019
Mason Jones, 40, Auburn, Feb. 4, 2020
Alex Dillard, 39, Delaware State, Dec. 11, 1993
Mason Jones, 38, Mississippi State, Feb. 15, 2020
Chelsea Dungee, 38, Missouri, Jan. 12, 2020
Chelsea Dungee, 37, UConn, Jan. 28, 2021
Mason Jones, 37, Tennessee, Feb. 26, 2020
Chelsea Dungee, 37, Houston, March 21, 2019
Jonathon Modica, 37, South Carolina, Feb. 4, 2006
Neighbors was still rolling when he began to do radio interviews after lunch Thursday. He said after the game that this was not a victory that would be put to bed at midnight, the line you hear from most coaches.
No, the Razorbacks will milk it for every last bit of value. Coaches throughout the Arkansas athletics department were jumping on the band wagon, although that's not a fair description. Everyone likes Neighbors. He will do anything for about anyone, usually without having to be asked.
Marvelously entertaining and engaging, Neighbors supports everything Razorback. It's his roots and he's knowledgeable in all of the school's programs. It's probably one of the reasons football coach Sam Pittman began the day celebrating the big victory with a video from football workouts.
"You knew they were going to win when they went out on the basketball court," Pittman said in a video posted on the Razorbacks' social media accounts. "You could feel it.
"What they have done with their program is the same thing we need to do with ours. Six years ago it wasn't. Yesteday they beat No.3. They already beat No. 2 in Baylor. There team is headed where it supposed to be headed. Why? They've got girls that went to work.
"The whole game I was thinking that's what we are going to do with our program. It is a great example of what hard work and dedication and coaching, players and player-led teams can do. They have a lot more to accomplish but I am really proud of them."
Pittman pointed to the Razorback logo on his workout shirt as he encouraged his football team.
"They wore the same hog we're wearing and they are in the same league we are playing in," he said. "They went out of league and it was outstanding, a great motivation for me."
Neighbors was all smiles as he listened to the replay of that Pittman session with the football team.
"If because of us they get one more first down next fall, that will make me happy," Neighbors said. "I've really heard from everyone in our program. I have talked to all of our coaches.
"I have a lot of respect for our coaches. I learn from them. I try to visit with them and learn. I've talked to (men's basketball coach) Eric Musselman and (soccer coach) Colby Hale a lot."
There is little doubt everyone can learn from Neighbors, too. Pittman is probably right. The women's basketball team has worked hard. They are well conditioned to play a fast-paced game that probably caught UConn off guard.
It's also a case of talent. It helps to have Wonder Woman leading the way.
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