Mike Siroky’s SEC Report: Arkansas is Not Dodging Anybody
By Mike Siroky
With an open date, coach Mike Neighbors took a request and invited then-No. 3 undefeated UConn in for what became a nationally televised game between two of the best male coaches in America.
He said he and other coaches had been working on anticipated open dates since the Covid threat began. Jeff Walz of Louisville started the national conversation.
It took all of 25 minutes for in-house approval of the game.
It continues Arkansas’ entry into the national conversation. The players were all for it, Neighbors said. ‘It was absolutely unanimous they wanted to play the best team we could find.”
He said Geno Auriemma would not bring his team in if he did not think it would be competitive. Even though it is an early afternoon game, ‘They (players) said we owe it to our fans.’
UConn had played one game since it dismissed Tennessee, the original schedule including another Covid cancellation of the one before this.
UConn brought home one of its players, junior Christyn Williams who is from Little Rock.
Another upside of the competition is the NCAA has already announced even a team with a losing record will be eligible this season for the tournament if it plays a competitive schedule.
“We’ve only won one of these (against higher-ranked teams) but that’s OK because we only need Purdue and Notre Dame to have played every team that has won an NCAA title,” Neighbors said.
‘They came here to play this kind of schedule.”
A fantastic third quarter led to a three-point win for Arkansas, a second impact win at home following the early defeat of Baylor.
So here is the weird juxtaposition of judging Arkansas.
They have those two marquee victories which will guarantee them an NCAA entry ticket.
Neighbors and Chelsea Dungee were called the National Player of the Week and National Coach of the Week by ESPN after the win. Dungee’s 37 points is the most scored against UConn in two decades.
Yet, in the SEC, they cannot recover with five league losses. They are 8-1 at home.
Does this underline the conference as the best in America or merely show Arkansas plays to the level of the opponent. They have seven seniors and a leader more and more likely an All-American.
Texas A&M’s N’dea Jones was put on the national watch list for the for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. She is second all-time in program history with 139 rebounds this season.
The team allows 60.7 points per game. The Aggies have outrebounded 13 opponents and won all of those games.
Talk is generating nationwide about the wisdom of having conference tournaments. A Covid event there would stop a team from being available for the NCAA eliminations.
If you area already in, is it worth the risk?
It says here it is not.
The NCAA has already said 13 games is the minimum for qualification to its post-season tournament, regardless of record.
The league has rescheduled several previous canceled Covid games for Sunday, the biggest among them is Tennessee at Texas A&M. The Lady Vols had traveled to Aggieland when the game was originally to be played only to have it stopped while they were already in the locker room for pregame.
Another one is Missouri at Auburn.
Ole Miss at South Carolina will take place on Monday, Feb. 25, among the last games of the regular season.
Arkansas. The chance against UConn seemed a slim one, as was the win.
UConn’s Geno Auriemma said in advance his team with no seniors just can’t shoot right now. They play South Carolina on their SEC tour next week.
He shows shrewd coaching.
The present for UConn is still being written game by game, but the skilled play of Paige Bueckers, who oughta be the national freshman of the year, is defining the future at 17 points per game.
She had hit the 3 the eventually defeated Tennessee.
She was limping on the ankle she turned in Koxville. She said adrenaline over rode any pain.
Evina Westbrook, the transfer from UT, has familiarity with Arkansas. She determines the UConn offense. She has a better chance to get to a Final Four than ever she did as a Lady Vol.
Arkansas managed to get permission for 4,400 fans, which was a season high for the nation.
The Razorbacks scored the first five, all Dungee. Amber Ramirez scored her first 3 in a week.
Uconn countered with seven, four by Williams. Sophomore Aubrey Griffin made one of two free throws. Mikayla Daniels hit a 3, answered by Westbrook.
This was the Razorback rhythm, but UConn was just as fast on defense.
Bueckers scored off a steal.
UConn was on an eight-point run.
Westbrook grabbed a defensive rebound.
With four minutes in the quarter, it was UConn, 15-11.
Williams had six, 3-for-3 from the field for UConn back in her hometown. The Huskies were 6-of-7 from the field.
Dungee had the initial five, then added a free throw.
Arkansas was held more than two and a half minutes without a basket, including an offensive foul.
It was 22-15 with two minutes left in the half.
UConn had made 8-of-10 from the field. Arkansas was 6-of-13.
Dungee had already taken a bench break after a first foul. Arkansas did not score a basket in the final eight minutes butTaylah Thomas closed the quarter with two free throws.
The Razorbacks led the country with an average of 18 free throws. Williams had eight to lead all scorers.
Arkansas had six turnovers vs. a game average of 10.
The UConn center had two fouls. They answered with 6-3 freshman Canadian center Aaliyah Edwards, then freshman Nika Muhl brought in two 3s off the bench.
UConn burst out an 8-0 run. But Dungee took over by taking a charge then hitting a 3, her 15th points.
UConn led 42-41 in the closing seconds.
Neighbors was demonstrating on the sidelines.
Ramirez hit a 3. Griffin hit a 3 with three seconds left.
Dungee had 15, Ramirez 10. Williams had 12. Each side had six 3s. UConn had 12 turnovers.
Each answered a surge with a surge.
Somebody needed to find consistency beyond the adrenaline rush.
Arkansas had the more experienced team, UConn the superior young athletes.
Dungee drove successfully, guarded loosely by Olivia Nelson-Ododa and her two fouls.
Dungee scored again, then Daniels hit the seventh straight on a 3.
Daniels drove for a layup and was fouled. Nine straight.
Auriemma had said specifically at Tennessee shooting was a problem and this spree proved it.
Daniels made it 11 straight in three minutes, the best run against UConn in a decade, If you tuned in at this point it would be hard to recognize UConn was undefeated.
UConn finally scored back-to-back.
Dungee hit a 3, another 20-point game, eight in a row. It was 55-47.
There was plenty of time left.
Dungee hit a 3, but Westbrook answered.
Davis hit a 3. Nelson-Ododa, off a 16-point average, scored her first points inside.
Westbrook turned it over on a foul.
Dungee had four of the 10 Arkansas 3s.
UConn was throwing the bench at the home team. Erynn
Barnum grabbed a Razorback miss then got fouled by Edwards.
Dungee got a home call, throwing an elbow on a successful drive and drawing a foul.
They called a foul on Marquesha Davis.
Mir McLean hit a 3. Then Bueckers hit one.
Dungee was fouled and hit a free throw to stop an eight-point UConn run.
But Edwards fouled out with two fouls within 10 seconds. She had 13 points.
Ramirez pushed the lead to nine off a 3 assisted by Dungee.
Arkansas held for the final 3 shot by Ramirez.
Arkansas led by 10 at the quarter break.
Arkansas had a 31-point quarter. UConn had been allowing 48 per game.
Arkansas possession to start the final quarter.
That third proved the difference as UConn won the fourth by seven.
With just under six minutes left, free throws by Bueckers gave the Huskies a lead they could not hold. Arkansas survived.
Westbrook hit another 3. Dungee tied it with free throws, A Ramirez 3 put Arkansas ahead. . She worked for a layup and Arkansas led by five, Dungee hit a free throw.
Bueckers, all that she was projected to be, broke a devastating three-minute UConn drought with a 3.
The clock was on the side of the home team, with two minutes left.
Destiny Slocum kept the Arkansas momentum with a jumper, a seven-point lead, but one last push (including a Bueckers 3) had the difference at the eventual 90-87 with 34 seconds to go.
Westbrooks 3 attempt at the buzzer failed.
The heavyweights were glad it was over.
Dungee finished with 37, 4-of-5 3s. Ramirez scored 22.
For UConn, it was Bueckers with 27, 3-of-3 3s. Westbrook scored 19. For all the excitement, Arkansas had just one more 3 than did UConn. Missing in action was Nelson-Ododa, though her replacements played well enough to put her on notice.
Westbook took inventory of what went wrong.
“It starts in practice. The things we messed up on are the same things we messed up in practice,” she said.
“They were fighting us the whole game. We didn’t do what we needed to do. On defense, we sorta crumbled at the end.
“The freshmen gave us a whole new spark, We needed it.
“Coach screams and wants us to pay attention to details. You saw it in the game but it shouldn”t have had to take a loss to show it.
Auriemma said, “It’s what you go to practice for. Figure out where defensively you can make adjustments.
“There were quite a few times when our big guys went out to help and their guys went around them. Can that be fixed, I don’t know. That requires the guys that I have to adjust to what Iwant to fix.
“Tonight, we alI thought we were better with a smaller lineup.
“Liv played 20 minutes and had two rebounds. Aliyah gave us better minutes.
“They never took their foot off the pedal. It was like we like to play. Certainly that’s the way they like to play.
“It is no surprise at all the game was played at that pace. They’re gonna force you to play a little bit quicker.
“We’re not the ‘Walk the game up the floor’ team. We’re not good enough to play that way.
‘We’re not experienced enough to do that, so we wanted to play quickly as well.”
Back to business was losing the high in an out of conference game, with Auburn a needed league win, with no hangover.
Here was another team you are supposed to defeat.
Auburn is already done for the season, just playing out the string and the career of center Unique Thompson.
In any other season, this would be one of three teams needing a regime change, if the school thought women’s basketball mattered.
“When you put in perspective, with all the tough losses we’ve had, this is important,” Neighbors said. “They wanted to play this game.”
He said Dungee is the obvious lead player beyond what is seen in public.
“She texted me after Texas A&M. She had never texted me before.
“She said she was going to work on defense, on all the things I had been yelling at them in practice. When you say your best player is the hardest worker you know as a coach your team is coming together.
“I went to all of our big four scorers and asked them what players they wanted and that’s the plays we ran.”
This week, the rematch for No. 16 Arkansas is with Missouri then a dicey game it needs to win, No. 24 Mississippi State at home.
Four of the five starters are in double figures, led by the irrepressible Dungee at 22.5. She has more free throw attempts than anyone in America.’
The team 85.7 average is sixth-best in America, 142.
It is easy to project Arkansas will close with five winnable games. They have not proven the will to win winnable SEC games.
Has Neighbors bailed on coaching to win, concentrating on methodology?
Auburn’s season is over, with nine straight losses. Arkansas is trying to reestablish league credibility.
The Razorback hangover from the big win which had no impact on the conference even though it interrupted the league season was evident again.
Arkansas scored nine in the opening quarter .
Auburn doubled that. Dungee played almost every minute of the half and scored seven as the Razorbacks rallied to take a 33-28 lead with a 24-10 second quarter.
Auburn slid to 28 percent from the field.
Came the third and they played even, which means Arkansas was once again playing at the level of their opponent rather than doing something about it.
This is where the danger of an upset shows. You must beat the teams you are supposed to beat.
Slocum and Ramirez each had 10 points for Arkansas.
All of Slocum’s points came in the quarter.
Dungee was given some bench rest. in the closing minutes of the quarter.
Unique Thompson, Auburn’s lone showcase player, had scored 16 with as many rebounds in 24 minutes. The Tigers were winning rebounds by 20, limiting second-chance Arkansas plays.
Arkansas had 7 3s, Auburn 1.
Auburn was 11-of-13 from the line.
That was the difference.
Neighbors was working the refs. Barnum got popped in the face. Double-technicals were called on Thompson and Barnum, her third after a five-minute discussion.
The difference was six at the end of three.
Dungee came back to start the fourth. Ramirez opened home scoring with a 3.
Slocum became the third Razorback with three fouls.
But Dungee had only one and was willing to take it to the foe, creating two straight fouls on those trying to stop her. She fed Ramirez for her third 3.
The lead remained close but unthreatened.
Dungee attracted yet another foul.
Then she hit her first 3 and pushed into double figures.
On the next possession, Auburn fouled her again.
She showed no pressure in a tight game. Ramirez drained another 3, her fifth. She had 19, It was suddenly 69-55, Arkansas cutting Auburn up with steady play, 17-9 in the fourth, 4-of-5 3s.
Auburn was 3-of-8 from the field in the quarter.
Jailyn Mason was back for Arkansas after missing several games with Covid isolation. She provided a valuable 21 minutes and eight points as four teammates had three fouls by the fourth.
Dungee scored her 16th point on a steal and a layin with 90 seconds left. It ended 77-67. Arkansas had trailed by 13 in the first period. They had 14 second half free throws, of 18.
Center Thomas said, “We started too flat, just going through the motions.
“We picked our pace up and took better shots, finding those open people. When we play slow, we play bad. Our guards had to attack more. We had to keep fighting.”
Neighbors said, “We turned it over five times in our first 10 possessions and then only four more the rest of the game.
“I just told them when coming off an emotional game like UConn, you have to find a way to become grounded. Then we had foul trouble and had to navigate that.
“I don’t like the was we reacted at first. But we settled that down.”
This was the fourth home team to win on Sunday.
South Carolina, rising to No. 2 in America, kept rolling at faltering No. 19 Mississippi State and free-falling Alabama. State used to be the league game of the week for the first night of play.
It was State’s only game of the week.
Especially down the stretch, talented players from the former regime are being let down. This is as bad as it’s been in years at StarkVegas, already eliminated from the SEC championship with a month to go and in danger of ending the fifth longest current ranking streak in the country,
Aliyah Boston, on her way to becoming the player of the year in an All-American season, is the league player of the week.
They may as well inscribe the yearly trophy now.
No other SEC player has been as consistent and as dominant as she wants to be.
Chelsea Dungee is the only other player who has proven so far to be considered as a co-player of the year and Boston has a better positioning coach.
If there is any one game this season which shouts that the old guard is gone, it is this 73-52 laugher by South Carolina at Mississippi State.
The Bulldogs did not show up at home after an 11-day break.
Sure, SC was destined to be highly considered with the losses by those ahead of them, but State was not destined to be an also-ran just because the coach fled.
Yet it is.
With basically the same players who were steadfast on the national scene, the new coach has made a competitive game a 21-point loss at home.
A&M and Kentucky remain and Tennessee may be back in the top echelon for good.
In 2019, State claimed its second straight SEC Title with a 68-64 victory over the Gamecocks in Colonial Life Arena during the regular-season finale.
Last year, the Bulldogs lost 81-79 in Columbia, as South Carolina went undefeated during league play and finished the season ranked No. 1 in the country.
It underlines the importance of defending your home court on the way to a conference crown.
Nikki McCray-Penson spent nine seasons on Dawn Staley’s staff at South Carolina from 2008-09 until 2016-17.
The two also competed on Team USA together during the 1996 and 2000 Olympics, winning Gold medals.
Since the start of the 2016-17, Mississippi State owns 139 wins, which is tied for the third-most victories in all of Division I. UConn leads the way with 146 wins with Baylor in second with 141. Louisville also has 139 wins.
State has continued a tradition with 125 consecutive weeks inside the AP Top 25, continuing the longest streak in program history and the fifth-longest active streak in the country.
State is just sliding down a slippery slope of ego and overconfidence. With six league losses and a month to go, they oughta be the least of the SEC’s ranked teams. Oh wait, they are.
State is in its worst stretch of basketball in seven years.
The loss to the Gamecocks was the third straight for State , the first three-game losing streak since 2014.
For SC, Zia Cooke scored 19 and Victaria Saxton 13, with 11 rebounds.
After scoring just 10 points in the first quarter and trailing by one, South Carolina used a dominant second quarter to establish the win.
Cooke scored the first eight points in a 12-0 run that led to a 36-23 halftime advantage.
The Bulldogs were cowering in their doghouse.
Hitting 22-of-65 from the field for the game will do that. Former All-SEC player Rickea Jackson scored two points in the first half , finishing with 15 after it was out of reach.
The Gamecocks got to win No. 13 by winning 44-28 inside, using a rebounding advantage of 13.
The Gamecocks star center Aliyah Boston had 12 rebounds, eight in the second quarter when SC took over. She also had three blocks, giving her 130 for her career, tied for 10th place in program history in her 47th career game.
The Gamecocks hit 19-of-22 from the line, best in conference so far.
They have six wins over ranked teams, more than anyone as the Gamecocks continued to show their power on the glass, Senior LeLe Grissett capped off that 14-0 first-half Carolina run with back-to-back buckets and added seven more points in the second half to finish with 11 points and five rebounds.
Dawn Staley liked Cooke’s ascension.
“After watching a couple of film sessions and kind of going over some things on the floor with her, and her utilizing her ability to get to the basket, and just cutting off her rounded drives to the basket,” Staley said.
“They were more direct, they were getting into the paint and she got to the free throw line.
“That’s something that she hasn’t really done over the stretch in which she hasn’t had great shooting nights. And she’s gonna have to mix those things up. And I thought she was really aggressive and under control, which we liked.”
“I think we do have a lot to do with what was happening out there, just being disruptive, making sure we were making them work for tough catches and touch shots, contesting shots and just making it hard for them,” Staley said.
South Carolina also turned the rebounds into 19 second-chance points, converting them into 17 fast-break points off defense.
“They are very good team, talented in every spot,” McCray-Penson admitted. “But they’re going to do what they do and they did that tonight — they rebounded, they pushed tempo, and that’s what they did.”
Despite the losses, McCray-Penson said they are headed in “the right direction.
“Our kids continue to come in and work,” she said. “We had a great week of practice. Again, I’m really proud of them. They’re coming in and working. It doesn’t feel good to be on a three-game losing streak, but these are all things that we can correct.
“As coaches, we stay up and spend countless hours watching film. We just have to execute. For us, this is a new season. Yes, we didn’t get the win, but we have to be us.
“We’re winners. We have to get back to our winning ways, but it starts on the defensive end.”
SC also worked on bench strength, after getting 18 points combined in the previous two games.
Staley specifically, called out sophomore forward Laeticia Amihere to help out senior guard Grissett.
They combined for 18 points and 12 rebounds and two steals.
“If you look at the stats, you know, they were huge,” Staley said. “I thought they did some things defensively that really just held serve or actually took us to elite.”
SC has the problem of runaways, which means starters do not get a lot of minutes and statistic totals.
At this stage every season, Alabama loses several and falls out of the national focus. They begin to chirp again when playing the middling teams of their own level.
This is that again.
They started competitively then were blown out by 24, the 18th straight loss to SC.
It is the Gamecocks’ 28th straight in conference. the 41-40 deficit is just the fourth time this season South Carolina has trailed at the break.
Cooke scored 12 of her 21 points in the third quarter . The 15-5 quarter surge erased any doubts.
Boston got the decisive stretch started with a go-ahead layup. Soon after, Cooke hit a 3- and a pair of driving layups. Cooke added another 3 and it was over.
Cooke and Boston were 3 -of-11 shooting the first half when South Carolina missed 11 of its final 15 shots in the half.
Jordan Lewis led Alabama with 19 points while Jasmine Walker had 15 but fouled out.
The Gamecocks had three others with double figures: Henderson had 14.,Beal 11 and Saxton 10. Henderson also had seven assists and six rebounds.
Boston posted her second straight game with single-figure scoring, the 14.2-point a game average scaling back to six points on 2-of-10 shooting. The 6-5 Boston did have a team high 13 rebounds, six assists and three blocks.
After its best performance from the free throw line of the season at Mississippi State, SC went 19-of-20 from the line, the highest free throw percentage in the Staley era.
.”We know we’re gonna take other team’s best effort, Staley said. “They took us apart in the first half.
“We had to dictate a little more.
“The pace was theirs but once we got into transition that got us going.
“We have been very fortunate as coaches to have the players we have. We don’t take it lightly. We used to be the doormat. There are no gimme games in this league. We take one game at a time, turn the page.”
Cooke said: “I was able to hit shots because the teammates found me. I play with a lot of all-stars and it can be anybody on any night We push each other.”
This week is a walkover at Auburn.
Next week is the great national matchup at UConn in which the Gamecocks will finally be favored. This could be a rematch of top seeds in the Final Four.
Tennessee: In a third straight home game, woeful Ole Miss came in with its comedy coach who is often viewed as the top clown in the SEC circus. They are below .500 and 1-6 in the SEC.
Three of new Rebel players lead the scoring, transfers Shakira Austin (Maryland) and Donnetta Johnson (Georgia) and the program’s first ever McDonald All-American, Madison Scott, which means they are new to the Vols as part of this series.
UT remains on the up escalator.
The No. 18 Lady Vols did enough to win an 11th game and remain one game back of South Carolina, 68-67. UT only won one quarter, but it was by seven.
Just before Kellie Harper arrived, this was the kind of game they would have lost.
UT was trailing by 13 in the second quarter, which made this the biggest comeback since 2018.
They were 8-of-8 from the line in the fourth, 16-of-19 for the game. With 21 points, the resurgent senior Rennia Davis moved past 1,600 career points.
Junior Rae Burrell scored 17 points and sophomore Jordan Horston scored13.
Donnetta Johnson was the high scorer for Ole Miss with 19 points.
Everyone struggled at the start, going through three possessions each before Johnson scored on a fastbreak layup.
Tamari Key got UT’s first points with a layup at the 7:45 mark . The Lady Vols did not score much. It was 18-8 at the quarter.
The Rebels opened the second with a 5-2 run to lead 23-10 two and a half minutes in.
Horston came alive with a 3 then a defensive rebound and a coast-to-coast lay-in.
Burrell knocked down a layup and Horston found Davis on the break to pull UT back to seven down.
Tennessee held the Rebels scoreless through three possessions, cutting the deficit down to two.
Laster, UT closed out the half with four-straight points from Burrell and Davis to set the deficit to 33-30 at halftime.
In the third, Davis converted on an old-fashioned three-point play to tie the score at 41.
Davis again to tie things up at 45.
Destiny Salary found Key in the paint for a layup on the next play to give the Lady Vols a 47-45 lead with 1:21 to go in the period.
Just before the buzzer, Salary got a rebound and a putback to give Tennessee a four-point lead entering the final quarter.
The Rebels did not fold, using min surges to hang around.
Walker and Horston each hit a pair of free throws to put the Lady Vols up 64-61 with 58 seconds to play.
A traveling violation gave them the ball back, and Davis scored on a layup to extend the lead to five with 16 seconds to go.
Burrell hit two free throws to give UT a four-point cushion with five seconds remaining. Johnson's 3-pointer at the buzzer cut the deficit to one, with the Lady Vols escaping with a 68-67 nail-biter.
Ole Miss used 11 players before it was over.
“First, we are excited to be going out of the gym with a win,” Harper said.
“We talked about as a team how we know we can grow. We know that there are things we need to be better at, walking out of this game.
“ Again, excited for the win, excited for the growth we can have.
“I'll tell you, Ole Miss came out fighting, playing hard. I knew they would; (I was) not surprised at all by their play.
“They're much improved. Folks haven't seen them much this year. They're much improved from last year and obviously, they have some dynamic players.
“ They played well. Like I said, down the stretch we made free throws. I'm proud of our team.
“Felt like the two things we did not start the game with were energy and composure. I thought Destiny (Salary) came in and brought both of those. I thought she came in earlier on and took care of the ball but also just played hard. I thought she did some really good things on both ends of the court.
“She played with confidence. She scored some buckets there in the third quarter, which I thought were really big. I thought her defense in the second quarter was good. Again, I think a lot of people have confidence her, because that's how she been practicing.
“Her role is to be that energy player for us. She knows that, and I'm really happy for her. I mean, we needed it. We absolutely needed it tonight. She made big plays.”
They are playing without sensational freshman starter Marta Suárez . She had started every game until now.
“Well, I wish I knew for sure,” said Harper. “We've not practiced her much since our last game and are trying to give her some rest.
“She has a foot injury, and as of right now, to be honest with you, I don't know her status. We knew we were going to try to rest her and get her through a game to see how she did.
“Obviously, we knew at the tip that we weren't going to be able to play her and that was unfortunate. I'll tell you; she has played really well for us.
“That was a big blow for our team. Obviously, the depth in that position was already slim. So, that hurt us to start the game. We'll just have to figure that out.
“I thought our defense was not as locked in and focused as we needed to be, or as we have been. I thought we were a step slow or a step late. I did not think we anticipated well, in terms of what was about to happen.
“We were on our heels a lot. That goes back to our focus. I think if we are locked in, we guard better. One of the things we've done well in last few weeks is guard well in the half court. I was a little disappointed in that tonight.
“We had seven (turnovers) in the first quarter. If you start out by playing with low energy, they're getting after you, and you aren't playing with composure, you're going to turn the ball over. That's not a great way to start a game.
“Obviously, what happens in turn - they get energy, they get happy, they get excited. They now are really bought in to their game plan, and how it's working. We've got to come out better -- better energy, better confidence, and better composure.
“We tried to make adjustments throughout the game, but nothing different than any other game that we play. As a coach, you make adjustments throughout.”
Florida is a team on the edge of an upset. They have been handicapped for three games as their coach, Cam Newbauer , has been isolated with Covid considerations.
Key fashioned a triple-double to lead Tennessee to a 79-65 win over Florida.
Key had 23 points, 10 rebounds and 10 blocks, setting career highs in points and blocks. It is a ptofram best in game blocks. It marks just the fourth triple-double in Lady Vol history. Burrell scored 21, Rennia 14.
Kiara Smith and Lavender Briggs each had 23.
Smith added 10 rebounds to hint total to record a double. But the Lady Vol defense allowed one total basket from them combined in the fourth.
Key had four points and a block in the first minute Florida stretched a lead to seven off back-to-back 3s by Briggs.
Burrell cut that with a jumper, a free throw answered with a jumper and a 10-foot jumper.
Back came Briggs and Smith to build Florida's lead back up to five inside of two minutes left in the quarter, but Key and Jordan Walker combined to cut it to two with the Lady Vols trailing 21-19 at the end of the first.
Smith scored on a fast break at the outset of the second, but UT tied it up at 23-all two minutes into the period and reclaimed the lead 30 seconds later off a Jordam Horston jumper.
Kasiyahna Kushkituah stretched the Lady Vols' advantage to four points before Smith ended the drought making the score 27-25 at the media timeout.
Briggs tied it up after the media break, but Kushkituah answered, setting off a 7-0 run that put the Lady Vols up 34-27 with just under two minutes left in the half.
Tennessee would maintain a seven-point lead through the end of the half, taking a 38-31 advantage into halftime.
Davis got things started in the second half, scoring on a turnaround jumper 45 seconds in.
The teams traded baskets through the opening minutes until Burrell set off a 6-0 run that put UT up by 13 at the 6:35 mark.
Smith cut it to single digits with a pair of free throws for the Gators three minutes later, but Davis hit two free throws to stretch UT's lead back to 11 on the next play, pushing the score to 56-45 with 3:01 left in the period.
Briggs responded with a 3 and Florida closed out the quarter with a 9-2 run. Still, UT had a 21-11 quarter and had the advantage, 58-54.
In the fourth, The Gators cut the lead to one, 60-59 with 6: 54 left. Horston fed Davis for a layup.
Each side fumbled successive possessions. Key had a rebound, then worked open for a feed from Davis and a layup.
Key had another block, then Tennessee missed its next two shots. Burrell made two free throws and Georgia missed another shot.
Key claimed a defensive rebound and worked open on the other end. Davis fed her for a jumper. Florida hit a 3.
Key hit one free throw, then the tussle began anew and neither side could score for a minute.
Kushkituah blocked a shot and grabbed the rebound.
Horston fed Davis again, 73-62 inside of two minutes. Florida hit a 3, but Key made a layup off a feed from Kushkituah. She also kicked an assist to Davis.
More misses by both team until Burrell took a rebound and pushed it back up and in.
Florida missed a shot and Key got her triple with a 10th block, Burrell’s final rebound ended it.
“ Obviously, this Florida team has a couple of dynamic players,” said Harper.
“You could see that throughout the game. I’m really proud of our team's fourth-quarter defense.
“We really gritted our teeth and got stops down the stretch. We showed a lot of toughness.
“Offensively, I felt like we executed pretty well. The third quarter, I felt like we quick-shot the ball a little bit and didn't get the post touches that we should have gotten, but we were able to come back to that in the fourth quarter.
“We gave up too many offensive boards to Florida. They just really worked hard. They hustled to get those. Hopefully, our players will feel good about it and get rested up for a little road stretch here."
On Key’s triple-double: “She played terrifically, and I wish we had gotten her the ball more. I thought we went away from it a little bit in the third quarter. Her teammates are looking for her.
“She’s getting on the offensive boards and her putbacks are pretty quick. She's done a much better job of that recently. She wants the basketball. She’s looking for the ball on the block.
“Defensively, I thought she did a really good job of finding ways to help her teammates out.
“I don't know what the numbers were, but I felt like she really executed that in the second half, especially in the fourth quarter.
“She came over and provided a lot of help. A lot of people just aren't going to get shots off on her when she's helping around the paint. I'm really proud of her."
Harper decided to start Kushkituah in the absence of Suarez.
"Kasi has played well,” Harper said. “I think she's been solid. Her defense has been really strong, as well as her putting up good numbers on the offensive end.
“ I feel very confident having her out there to start the game.
“Obviously, not having Marta (Suárez) out there changed our lineup. When we knew Marta was not going to play, we had no worries about putting Kasi in the lineup.
“Well, I like playing Kasi at the five, and I also like playing Tamari at the five. So, when you play them together, you take something away from one of them a little bit. We really tried to look and see how we could play them together and what advantages we would have.
“Some of our plays work well when they’re together, and some don’t, so we just have to be a little bit more specific about what we are going to look for offensively when we’ve got those two in there together.
“We're going to look into some other options as well obviously, as Emily Saunders can come in and play some five. We can go small and play a four-guard lineup. It changes game to game based on personnel of the opponent. If you have foul trouble, it changes.
“So, we’re trying to be as flexible as we can be, and just know what we're going to call, what we’re going to look to do, is putting our team in the best position to be successful with whatever lineup we have on the court.”
She thinks Key's defense important.
“She is much improved offensively and defensively. She is a presence defensively, and sometimes it’s not blocking shots, but it’s her being in the right spots.
And today, it was blocking shots.
She did a great job on the boards, and did a great job being where she needed to be. It was really making things difficult for Florida when they got in the paint.”
It is important it was to close out a four-game home stretch with a win as they head into some tough road games, especially at Texas A&M.
“We’re on a three-game road swing now, and absolutely, I thought this was a big game for us to get in the win column. We can take a breath now and get fired up again to take on these road games.
“It’s not easy, but we don't talk a lot about defending our home court. And we don't talk about that, because we should win road games. So, I think our team has traveled well this year. We’ve done a good job when we've been on the road, and I'll expect no different this upcoming week."
She felt for Florida without their coach.
"There are some great assistant coaches in the SEC. Probably every team in the league could have someone step up and take over. I think he's been involved with them as much as he could, through Zoom, phone calls, and what not. I hate that he's not there, because I can't imagine how he feels.
“That'd be such a gut punch, and it could happen to any of us. The players are resilient. You’re going to get them a game plan, and it's not going to change how they play. It’s still going to be the same thing you’ve been doing. So, they’re resilient, but it’s probably harder on the coaches than it is on the players.”
Key said she amazed herself with the triple-double:
"It’s exciting. I’m speechless, honestly,” Key said.
“ There are so many great people who have played here, and to be one of the four people to have a triple-double is—I’m at a loss for words right now.
“I would say rebounding (is her concentration). I feel like Florida had a lot of offensive boards, so that was something that we were trying to focus on in the second half coming out so they couldn’t keep getting their second-chance shots.
“I feel like each game we got better. That’s important to us, just continuing to grow every single game and applying what we do and what we work on in practice to all of our games."
Burrell said, “We are just very excited and proud of her. I feel like she has come a long way, and I feel like she’s getting more consistent each game. We’re just so proud of her and happy for her.
“Defensively, we weren't getting up enough, so they were able to hit shots. We just had to make sure that we were getting more pressure, talking more, and just not letting them take easy shots.”
Key's triple-double joins Jordan Reynolds (2016) Shekinna Stricklen (2010) and Shelia Collins (1985).The Lady Vols out-rebounded the Gators 57-42, turning that season-high total of rebounds into 22 second-chance points.
UT has now out-rebounded every opponent this season and holds a 46.6 to 31.8 per game advantage.
Suarez, a 6-2 Tennessee swing guard from Oviedo, Asturias, Spain, is the league rookie of the week. She is one of only three Lady Vols to start every game.
Her defense is one reason she starts. As ever, at Rocky Top, offense gets the headlines but defense wins the games. As one of Harper’s first recruits, she is building the legacy already. She is out injured.
Next is Texas A&M.
Texas A&M, No. 7, went to Auburn and had No. 25 Georgia visit.
Auburn just sits and watches another season slip away. A&M greased the skids a little more with an 84-69 road win.
Only A&M and South Carolina have not lost at home, in an era where winning all your league home games is a qualifier for winning the conference.
A&M allows 60.7 points per game, the opponent score was right in line.
Tiger coach Terri Williams-Flournoy’s program is 5-10, 0-7 in the SEC.
How bad is Auburn? Vanderbilt has folded for the season and are still ahead of Auburn in league standings.
The only bright spot is Unique Thompson, with 17.8 points and a league-best 14.2 rebounds per game. But she still has never doubled against A&M.
A&M has never lost to Auburn, this making it 15 straight.
A&M is 6-1 in the conference for the first time since 2014. The 15 wins trail only national No. 1 Louisville for number of wins.
They have started the same lineup every game this season.
It started terribly for both sides, an 11-7 opening quarter, the Aggies ahead if not awake.
It is their best defensive allotment of the season in a quarter. After that, they hit two-thirds of their shots for the rest of the game, 82 percent in the fourth.
The 22-19 second was slightly better. The 63-42 second half made it look respectable.
N’Dea Jones got another double, 23 points and 12 rebounds. Her 11 doubles are the most in America, though she is in a close race with Texas’ Charli Collier. She was 11-of-14 from the field. Junior guard Destiny Pitts scored 14 off the bench, including four 3s.
Auburn’s only counter was 10 3s.
A&M coach Gary Blair said, “Well we had to first get through that first quarter. We were 5-of-12 in the first half on the inside, but I told them to keep going in there.
“A good defensive plan let us share the ball in the second half.
“We have got to be more selective, 16 turnovers is not good.
“We need to not depend on the guards all the time.
“We just finished four of five on the road. Now we have a chance at five straight at home, which has never happened before.
“I think Tennessee (rescheduled) will slip in there on Super Bowl Sunday.
“Who’s next. That’s all we’re thinking about. One game at a time mentality works for us.”
He was solidly in second place with just one league loss, 15 wins overall.
Associate Coach Kelly Bond-White said, “I think sometimes you tend to do what your opponent does. Ball reversal and coming up the sideline gave us easy points.
“Jordan Nixon taking those charges, coach says she is always where she needs to be. She is definitely a high IQ player.”
Pitts said, “Tonight my teammates did a really good job of finding me. My shot was falling. I know some shots are kinda hard, but if we miss, I can follow up.
On the 1-of-11 from the field to start, “We need to figure it out,” said Pitts.
Jones said, after that start but finishing with 84, “I don’t think anyone would have believed it, but we believed it We just have to trust the game plan.
“We have a goal set in our heads.
“A double is not a goal, but a standard. On defense, We knew we could not stop everything, but make them earn everything.”
In-between this game and Georgia, Blair led a weekend of celebration of the National Championship a decade ago.
Members of the National Championship team were honored at halftime and at breaks throughout the game.
Fans were invited to meet and greets throughout on the concourse take pictures with the national championship trophy in the concourse of Reed Arena throughout.
This was the sixth ranked game for the Aggies and the sixth win.
Maroon & White, and they are 5-0 in such games.
Georgia , with three SEC losses, has the best scoring defense in the SEC, 58.2.
If, at the start of the season, you had said the Aggies matchup with the Bulldogs would be an SEC Game of the Week, not many would have agreed.
The win broke the second-place tie in conference.
Then No. 22 Georgia had lost three straight in the series, including by one point last season. A&M needed to defend its home court.
Only South Carolina had also won every league home game. Georgia led the conference in points allowed, 58.2.
Senior Jenna Staiti is the 6-4 force in the middle. She leads the league in blocks, with 45, and has scored 10 or more in 23 of the past 24 games.
A&M started with an all-too-familiar single digit first quarter, 12-9. Gabby Connally had half of the Dawg points. Jones had five for A&M.
Jordan Nixon scored on a layup for the Aggies. They came out with more energy.
Zaay Green got a rebound but missed a jump shot. Jones got a rebound and was fouled by Jordan Isaacs.
She misfired. Green turned it over. She missed her next shot.
Then she blew a layup. Jones got a rebound and laid it back in. Nixon missed another shot. Cierra Johnson turned it over, then fouled trying to recover.
Pitts fouled then turned it over. Aliyah Wilson missed a shot but Jones git the rebound save.
Georgia was playing as foolishly.
When Connally hit a 3, it only made the edge 20-15. Wilson fed Jones for a layup. It was 22-all at intermission.
Blair’s famous halftime adjustments were needed. He shed his jacket along the way.
Connally’s 3s gave her nine but Que Morrison was right there with seven. Jones was closing in on another double nine points with eight rebounds. Blair had gone 10 deep but the bench had scored zero.
A&M had no 3s.
Georgia has survived without their best player, 6-5 senior center Jen Staiti, stuck with two early fouls and benched. She scored quickly twice.
Alexis Morris was for &M to spark the offense, replacing Nixon. She grabbed three defensive rebounds.
Staiti picked up a third foul with a wild elbow, clocking Johnson. The officials took time to review it but no flagrant.
Wells hit a jumper to put A&M up by two. She made the free throw, too. It is Wells’ 81st straight start, with Jones and Wilson. Connally scored her 11th point.
So the back-and-forth continued. It was 37-30 with 4:36 left in the quarter, separation on two straight converted steals. Jones was a rebound away from a double, with 13 points. Wells made it a nine-point lead from just inside the line.
It was 46-35 at the end of three. A&M hit two-thirds of its shots in the third, Georgia had 17 turnovers and was off its game. Blair was directing magnificently.
Connally scored twice and was at 18 points against an 11-point average for the Texas native.
But Staiti got her fourth foul. Four Aggies were in double figures. The Aggies went five minutes without a basket and did not lose momentum.
It ended withy the Aggies dribbling time away, 60-48. Their defense won it.
The Lady Bulldogs shot a season-low 31 percent from the floor and committed 24 fouls.
“Going into halftime with Jenna having to stay on the bench most of the first half, we felt pretty good tied at 22-22,” Georgia coach Joni Taylor said. “In the second half, we just fouled way too much.
“That affects what we were trying to do offensively. We held a very good Texas A&M team to 60 points — that’s good enough to win. We just could not hit shots and we fouled way too much.”
Georgia finished 25 points under its average. Jones got her double, 12 rebounds and 15 points.
Wilson said, “We obviously came in with defense,” she said. “We let them know we were here. They are probably the fastest team we’ve played. (Connally) is quite a player. She and Staiti were the focus.
“Just knowing they (the championship team) were here allows us to pick their minds. I wish we could see them more.”
Assistant coach Bob Starkey, in charge of the defense, said, “Give credit where credit is due. Defense is all about the kids. There is not a lot of glory in it. But we have kids who have bought into it. Kudos to Vic Schafer (the previous defensive coordinator) who handed me the keys nine years ago.
“That was a joyful game to watch. These are grown women playing against each other,”
Jones said, “Our shots started falling. We looked to attack. This win sets the tone. It is pretty good.
“ It is hard to win on the road so we really needed this game. Ball pressure, it is all about ball pressure. They are going to get my best (because she is a native of Georgia).”
Blair said, “I kept looking down at my hands. It is not a great day when your offense does not affect your defense.
“We were three outta nine from four outside players in the first half. We have to just play better.
“We have to wait for the point guard. We’re working on it. We’ll do a better job. I like what I have.”
A&M joins Tennessee with only one league loss and joins South Carolina with winning all its conference home games. This was the first of five home games.
LSU comes in Thursday, then the reset with Tennessee. The loss at LSU is the only SEC loss so far. The 16 overall wins vs. one loss are a program record.
Kentucky started the week with a chance to whoop up on Alabama. At least the Tide got to see Rupp Arena. It was the first of three straight winnable games.
It was 17-all after one.
Rhyne Howard scored eight for No. 15 UK and Walker did the same for the Tide.
Howard finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in the 81-68 runaway.
Robyn Benton, playing on her 21st birthday, had a season-high 15 points for the Kats, Dre’una Edwards and Chasity Patterson 10 each.
Kentucky remain thee game back of South Carolina.
The Kats got 37 points from the bench. The Tide had 12. Kentucky had 11 fast-break points, Alabama had none.
The game After the back-and-forth first, Kentucky took off, a 14-2 run, then an 8-0 run.
Reserve guard Robyn Benton closed the half by scoring five in a row.
The Kats led by 11 at halftime.
An 8-1 spree early in the third helped maintain a 15-point lead with three minutes to go in the quarter.
It was part of a 17-3 breakaway.
A similar, 11-4 run to establish a 78-63 lead and to put the game away.
Kentucky coach Kyra Elzy saw overall improvement.
“Absolutely, I would love to have that every game. Any time you have four players in double figures, you shoot 52 percent from the field, 55 percent from the 3. Yeah, we’ll take that every night if we could,” she said.
“The stat sheet looked wonderful, but one thing of importance that we have talked about the last three days, rebounding. We outrebounded this team tonight by 11, so, I was so excited.
“I had this team stand up and give themselves a hand in the locker room. And another big number, 23 assists. So, that just goes to show that we moved the basketball tonight and have better execution offensively.
“I am so proud of Robyn. She makes big plays for us, she is always ready to score offensively. Rhythm shots, she can knock down, but defensively, she hustles. She makes plays that might not show up on the stat sheet.
“I texted her earlier wishing her a happy birthday and she sends me a text back, ‘It’s going to be a great birthday coach, let’s get this win.’
“I said sounds good, so, Happy 21st birthday to Robyn Benton.”
She inserted Tatyana as a first-time starter.
“You know, I wanted a lineup change. Tatyana brings us the experience. She has a high basketball IQ. When she is feeling her best, she makes our offense more dynamic. I challenged her to step up today, and I think she answered the call.
“ One thing that I was proud of about out defense, our one-on-one defense is better. They got to the paint, but we didn’t bail them out with a foul, we made them score over defense, build a wall, and gave them score one shot and out, so that was a step forward in our defense.
‘’You know, our transfers have been really good for us. Robyn Benton, like we talked about previously, she makes big plays for us. But, the thing about the transfers, they have experience. And, there is something about college experience, maybe they haven’t played at Kentucky, but they understand what it takes to play at this level, what it takes to win at this level.
‘Jazmine Massengill, she makes us different on the floor. She can push it. Her basketball IQ is extremely high. Her size and athleticism definitely poses a problem for the opponent.
“Olivia (Owens), she comes in, she’s physical, she gives us a low-post presence, and then Dre (Dre’una Edwards), is just dynamic offensively. She can score on the inside, she led the break, she can shoot the 3, so we are very happy that they are at Kentucky.
“As far as transfers, we are always looking. There is a certain fit that we are looking for at Kentucky, and if it arises that we can get a great transfer, we’re always open to taking it.
“I was really proud of Rhyne tonight. She struggled in our last game, and you know, we watched film together. As talented as she is, she wants to be coached, she still wants to learn, she still wants to push in order to be the best.
“Resiliency is something that we have talked about all year. I thought her ability to bounce back after her last game was big. She started the game extremely aggressive, and I think our culture helps our transfers and newcomers. When they can hold each other accountable and teach the transfers and the newcomer what it means to be a Kentucky Wildcat, that’s when you’re really in business.
Benton said, “Well we were really disappointed in the way that we performed, especially rebounding. So, these past couple of practices has been keying in on rebounding. A lot of circle-box and the coaches have been harping on us to rebound. Rebound, rebound, rebound. And us as players, we hold ourselves accountable for rebounding even more.
“When I missed the first two I was like: ‘You know what? I’ve got to focus more. I’ve got to be down and ready more ready to knock it down. Especially on my birthday.’ I could not have a bad shooting night on my birthday.
“Coming from my previous situation it’s pretty good to play with Rhyne Howard. It’s good to have that person on the other wing bring the ball up. She makes life easier for everyone.’’
‘‘Well, you know, Rhyne is a real great player. During my process when I was transferring, she was one of the first people to reach out to me. She really wants us to help her so she can help us. It’s a very good relationship. She has a good mind, and she has great vision because she’s 6-2. A great shooter. It’s hard (for opponents) to deal with.”
Howard said, “We knew defensively we were going to have to step up and play harder than what we have been. We knew that was going to be big and that they were going to try and drive it in and try to put up shots. We knew we were just going to have to all five be on the same page.”
She is comfortable when Benton comes in.
“She was huge off the bench, but we know she’s always going to come in looking to be that spark that we need. She’s definitely going to hit some big shots when we need her to.
“We knew that we were going to have to come back and play Kentucky basketball today and all be together and look like one. Especially in the SEC, we knew we couldn’t have two back-to-back losses. We knew this one was going to be big and Alabama is a tough team.”
A second guaranteed home win was Missouri.
Three Kats were averaging double figures entering this one, Howard, Edwards and Chasity Patterson.
Howard is averaging 19.1 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, hitting a team-best 31 3-pointers.
Edwards is averaging 11.8 points and 7.1 rebound. Patterson leads the nation with 61 steals, while she averages 12.9 points.
Patterson has 55 assists, while Howard has 49 assists.
Missouri has never won in Lexington.
Because of Covid, Mizzou was further handicapped in its quest as only seven players – the league minimum – were available in the previous game.
Aijha Blackwell is averaging a double through conference play, 14.9 points and 12.5 rebounds. Ladazhia Williams averages 14.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
She transferred from South Carolina in search of playing time, sitting out last season Hayley Frank averages 12.2 points.
Their season is all but over as well, just .500 and 2-6 in conference.
They started cold, each around 30 percent from the field, Kentucky with three baskets and Mizzou with two at the five-minute mark of the quarter. McKinney got her second foul and sat down at 1:41.
It was 11-8 at the quarter. Blackwell had seven Tiger rebounds. UK slipped ahead by nine. Howard had seven. Williams, 4-of-6, had eight. Neither side had urgency at the 28-18 half.
its field goal attempts.
McKinney hit a 3 to start the second half for UK, but William scored the next six. A layup and a free throw by Howard kept the lead at 10. She made another traditional three-point play to keep it there. Missouri closed the quarter on a 10-3 spree to cut it to 42-39 with one quarter to play.
Williams hit two free throws and the deficit was one. The Kats pushed it ack to six with six minutes to go. Mizzou had a push left, eight straight including five by leading scorer Hayley Frank.
With four minutes left, it was a two-point lead, with 3:23 to play. Edwards hit two free throws hit a putback with 2:07 remaining.
Missouri's Williams missed a pair of free throws with 1:43 to play and Howard followed by making a pair with 1:29 to go. Kentucky led 56-53. But Williams responded with a spinning layup with 1:07 left.
Patterson was fouled with 35.5 seconds left and she made the second of two free throws to give the Cats a 57-55 lead. After Missouri failed to score, Kentucky called timeout to advance the ball into the front court. After the timeout, McKinney was fouled and she nailed both free throws to extend the UK lead to 59-55 with 15.7 seconds to play.
Missouri's Haley Troup missed a shot in the lane. grabbed the loose ball. She finished the game with free throws.
Kentucky's bench came up big, outscoring Missouri's bench 21-6. Kentucky also had a 19-6 advantage in points off turnovers
The Cats made 36.7 percent from the field, including just 3-of-13 3s. Missouri hit 38.5 from the field and just 1-orf-18 3s.
Kentucky gets a gimme at Mississippi for their only game of the week. UK is 6-3 in conference, three behind South Carolina and two behind Tennessee and Texas A&M.
UK committed 12 turnovers but forced 13 and turned them into 19 points. The Kats are 7-2 this season when committing less turnovers than the opponent.
Rhyne Howard led the Kats with a double, 22 points and 10 rebounds, 37 career games with at least 20 points. Against Ole Miss, she will move up to No. 16 on UK’s all-time scoring list with Jodie Whitaker (1,433) .
Sometime starter Dre’Una Edwards came off the bench with 10 points and nine rebounds.
No rebound was bigger than her offensive board with 40 seconds remaining and UK clinging to a one-point lead.
Howard said Edwards, “is definitely the big body that we need. We are looking for her to get those boards and get the defensive stops against other bigs. We can definitely go to her offensively too, because she always knows what move to make or if she needs to throw it back out.
“I knew I needed to attack more because we were shooting rough, but I also knew they were going to start fouling, and you know, the refs were calling it hard, so if I just go in and draw the foul then I’ll be able to score or get two points at the free throw line.
“It’s really important because we need this, all these wins are going to add up at the end of the season. So, for us to be able to push through adversity and stay together, its big for us. It’s something that was needed for a confidence boost.
“I think right now, I’m more comfortable behind the wing, coming off stagers, coming off pen downs and stuff. And just being like off the ball because it gives Chaz or Jazz (Chasity Patterson or Jazmine Massengill), or whoever is on the play, an opportunity to drive, because everyone is focused on me coming off screens or if their chasing and we can get the slip. Stuff like that.
“I do think I have improved. I know when to go fast and when to slow things down for myself and for the team. I’m always looking to slow things down so I know which pass to make or which look we need to get or if I need to speed up or go to the rim quick or something, I can do that too.”
Coach Kyra Elzy said, “I am so proud of Dre (Edwards). She definitely took a step forward tonight. In the past, when she has missed some shots around the rim or the referees have called a foul that she didn’t like, it really has taken her out of her game. So, for her to miss a shot down the stretch, go back, get the rebound, focus and finish, that was a huge growth for her.
“Yeah, we play team basketball, so I am proud of them for stepping up and being confident in each other, how we practice, and knowing that when your number is called, you have to be able to step up and make plays down the stretch, that is imperative.
“Now, hopefully we don’t have to have close game after close game, but when we do, you know, I thought today, you know, we talked in the huddle, you’re battle-tested, do not panic, let’s take good shots, let’s trust each other and trust how we play at Kentucky, and it came out to our favor today.
“It’s a great luxury to have. Rhyne Howard. It just shows why she is the best. Um, but, she has so much confidence in her teammates. She knows how to distribute the ball. She makes everyone around her better, and it’s not just her scoring.
“She got rebounded today, she tried to hustle defensively, she took a charge, but she is able to do what she does offensively because she has people around her that can score, so that helps.
“If I could snap my fingers and fix one thing, it would be keeping the ball out of the paint. Making them score outside the paint, one shot and out. And, have we gotten better? Absolutely, we’ve taken a step forward in our defense.
“You continue to work on your deficiencies, and while you’re doing that, you find a way to win basketball games, and that is the name of the game.”
Georgia: Another game, this time in conference, with a ranked team starting the week had Arkansas looking ahead before invading No. 25 Georgia, the lowest of the seven ranked conference teams. It was the ultimate statistical team matchup, Arkansas with the league’s best scoring average, 83.4, vs. the Bulldogs’ fewest points allowed defense, 57.1.
Georgia is trying to stay relevant on the national stage and a possible NCAA invitation after missing a couple of seasons. Arkansas is solidly in and was angling each game for better placement.
The Bulldogs have won seven of the past eight against the Razorbacks. The 55 points were a season low for an Arkansas team that averaged the sixth best in the nation.
Georgia had just held South Carolina to its second-lowest scoring output of the season, 62 points against an 80 average. But their own scoring 50, was the first time below 60 this season. Arkansas allows 74.4.
Of course, with Arkansas it is all about the 3s. When the catch-and-shoot offense is hitting, they are insurmountable.
Jenna Staiti, Gabby Connally, Que Morrison and Maya Caldwell the post-graduate players
Staiti has scored in double figures in 21 of the last 23 games.
Chelsea Dungee of Arkansas will get All-American votes this season. She averages 21.4 points per game. Destiny Slocum is averaging 15.4 season at Arkansas. They are among four of seven seniors starting. Arkansas is sixth in the nation in scoring average.
Each were coming off a loss to South Carolina. Whichever team won, it would be no upset.
The Georgia game began with a stutter.
Dungee scored first, of course. Jotrdan Isaacs made a traditional three-point play.
Georgia threw it away. Makayla Daniels turned that possession into a 3.
Staiti tied it. Daniels stole it and Morrison, assigned to Dungee, fouled. Georgia’s had a fourth turnover . But Staiti got a rebound and was fouled.
Then Morrison had to sit with a second foul.
Connally came in, which proved to be an offensive plus Caldwell scored six in the quarter . The Michael Buffer wannabe court announcer was pretty distracting.
Arkansas probably did not hear him.
Connally scored four as the Bulldogs made six unanswered.
Staiti fouled and hit the court hard for the second time in this game already.
The silly SEC announcers were busy reminding us that certain players were very important. Yeah, like every starter. Insights like that keeps these announcers off real national broadcasts and demeans all reporters.
Staiti was removed to the locker room. Mallory Bates replaced her. She had a good game in reserve against Tennessee. For instance, they told us no one wants to play LSU. A 4-3 conference record with no upsets would seem to show otherwise.
Georgia was ahead by nine at the time.
Without Staiti, Arkansas came back. It was tied at 25 at the quarter. Daniels had six and Dungee eight.
Staiti, back from the locker room, had six.
Georgia was hitting 73 percent to just stay tied.
Georgia turned it over 10 times, Arkansas converting 11 points off those. Connally ended a 9-0 Razorback run with a basket, then Sarah Ashlee Barker hit a Bulldog 3.
Staiti pushed the lead to five off a feed from Isaacs then blocked the next Arkansas attempt. Connally made it nine straight for Georgia. They led by seven. She was up to 12 points.
Georgia coach Joni Taylor was working the officials and gained an offensive foul call.
Another Arkansas turnover.
With five minutes left, Slocum hit a 3. and it was 37-33 Georgia.
Staiti grabbed an eighth rebound, but dropped a steal to Erynn Barnum. Dungee gained a layup off her feed, her 14th point.
Arkansas was on another 9-2 run. It was tied at 37, Daniels rushed to untie it.
Georgia had 15 turnovers already, against a 17 per game average. Arkansas had 11 steals.
Staiti sat down again to rest before the break. Someone had to claim some sustained momentum.
Nothing had yet been proven. Morrison had never reentered and had no shots yet.
It took Staiti three shots to open the second half for her double. She put back another miss.
Dungee scored to keep it even and was past her average with 21 just minutes into the half.
Georgia opened another five-point lead with a 10-5 opening of the half. Someone else had to help Dungee, who had 21 points, including 7-of-8 at the line.
Arkansas won the quarter, 19-14 and led by five at the end of three.
They went 12-of-15 at the line and had three 3s. Barnum was supplying some points, 6-of-7 from the field off the bench.
Georgia had 17 turnovers. Staiti had 14 points and 12 rebounds.
The Razorbacks inched ahead by five, but Georgia would not be denied.
At the very end, Connally hit the final two shots inside of a minute for the 75-73 final. She matched Staiti with 20 points, Dungee scored 25, but missed two free throws down the stretch as Arkansas was scoreless for the final 1:48. The Bulldogs won the fourth, 22-15.
Arkansas could not get a final shot off, They were 10 points below their scoring average and only hit four 3s.
Even though Georgia allowed 10 more than their defensive average, they never let the visitors get more than five ahead. An 11 rebounding edge really helped Georgia to its 12th win.
“We were just going to rely on the (players) we had out there, said Georgia coach Joni Taylor.
“ We knew we were going to be in a tough game.”
She played the old coach’s game of praising a defeated foe, because that makes your team look so much better.
“Arkansas is so good,” she claimed. ‘They are so battle-tested and their record does not reflect how good they are. They’re going to be a team that’s going to do great things. I wanted to have the last shot. I’ve always said when you’re playing Arkansas, you have to score with them, and whoever can score the most points is going to win the game (now there’s a revelation), and that’s a tall task because they average (better than) 80 points a game, but we were able to find some different ways to score tonight.”
Arkansas will not win the conference this year, now with five league losses. Georgia defended its home court to stay just two back of the lead.
“We were hoping to get that thing back tied,” Neighbors said of the endgame.
“We forced the first miss and couldn’t come up with the rebound. She made a great play, hit that shot. I think we ended up having .9 left, which does not give you much time.
“We’ve learned through experience this year that pretty much has to be a tip. We got a good play drawn up, got thrown to the back side. We were very well defended by Georgia.
“I don’t know. I think there’s shots we make in practice a lot of times. I’ll go back and look at it. I don’t think that was the case, but it may have been.
“I know we got strung out deep into the shot clock a little bit. We were kind of going on offense/defense there at times as well, so I’m sure I could’ve called a better play or got us into a better action for sure than what we did end up with.
“Again, we are talking about those last four minutes, but it could’ve been a play in the first three minutes.
“We don’t get back in transition. I will tell you one that is going to haunt me all night: We go on a free throw, make a free throw, then they come down and throw it the length of the floor and basically shoot a layup.
‘When it’s a one possession like that, that’s when you go back and start over analyzing from a coaching standpoint.
“Obviously, it’s magnified at the end of a game. I understand that. We were up five at one point, maybe 70-65. That was probably from that point on we just made free throws down the stretch.
“I thought their kids that they count on made big plays and made big stops. And when you’re on the road in this league, this particular year, you can’t have lapses like that and expect to win. We will point out the things we could’ve done every step along the way, including the last four minutes, but I guarantee we will find more in the first 36 than we did in the last four.”
After this game, Georgia wasted an opportunity at home against LSU.
Georgia is no longer in contention for a top four conference finish as the league continues to adjust for the better teams.
Given that Morrison was a non-factor in the previous game, she seemed ready for less-than LSU.
Georgia honored its four seniors – Caldwell, Connally, Morrison and Staiti -- in a pregame ceremony.
Georgia’s top four scorers had combined for 259 starts, 422 games played and are closing in on 60 wins.
The Ben-Gals have won three of the previous four games, including a survival of No. 8 Texas A&M. LSU was coming off a four-point loss to No. 3 South Carolina.
Georgia had won.
Georgia is the only SEC team to rank in the top five of the league in every defensive category. The Lady Bulldogs lead in scoring defense (58.1 ppg), are second in blocked shots (6.1 per game), fourth in field-goal percentage defense (.362), third in 3-point field-goal percentage defense (.261) and fifth in steals (9.5 per game).
Georgia is averaging 74.5 points per game after a 63.2 last season.
LSU won, 69-52, on the strength of a 60-52 fourth quarter, Balanced scoring, including 17 from reserve sophomore guard Tiara Young did it. They only scored one 3. They hit 15-of-24 free throws.
Staiti scored 19 for the home team.
"LSU is a great team. I mean, they always play tough, and they are a team that gets better every game they play,” said Georgia coach Joni Taylor.
“So, we knew we would have our hands full. It's a game that you circle when you find out you're playing them because they're tough to play, and Nikki does a tremendous job with them.
“ They want to slow the ball down and dictate pace, and they do what they did well. So, they credit goes to them. I think if you look at key stats, it's offensive rebounds. They got their hands on offensive rebounds, and the one thing you're not going to see is loose balls.
“They got their hands on a lot of loose balls, back tips, and things like that. When you're playing a team that wants to limit possessions, we've got to value the basketball and little bit more than we did.”
Morrison said, ““Honestly, it’s all mental. We’ve just gotta dial back in, come back in and on to Texas A&M. Take this game and learn from it, that’s what we have to do, but it’s only a lesson and we can only build off of it. So, just come back in and get to work.”
“That motivation comes from within, and I like the fact we are having players who we knew what we could do off of last year’s team. We could play and beat some of the best teams in the country.
“Obviously, our postseason was cut short.
“Through all of this with COVID-19 and the social unrest and everything that these student-athletes are having to endure, they are still coming out every day, giving us everything they got, they’re abiding by all the COVID-19 protocols, they’re doing great in school, and they’re playing at a high level.
“To me, that mental state of mind is so critical right now to make sure that your team is mentally well. We are obviously physically in really good shape. Chris White does a phenomenal job of that every year and Amanda Barbee, our athletic trainer.
“This game really is about them not wanting to miss a moment because they were in a situation where it was taken away from them. So, there is a great appreciation to put the purple and gold on, so that’s why you see my team playing as hard as they do. That’s why they’re going to be in ball games because they’re not going to quit. They’e going to have a lot of fight in them.”
With the following loss as Texas A&M, the ’Dawgs are 13-5, 5-4 in conference. They are winnable at Alabama in the only game this week.
Mississippi State will open February with two ranked teams, Tennessee and a road trip vs. Arkansas, after a week off. But it closes the season with five winnable games. State is No. 24, light years away from what it once was with the same players.
Myah Taylor is a finalist for the Nancy Liberman Award, which honors guards.
posted by Mel Greenberg | 7:07 PM
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