Arkansas women's basketball's tournament hopes in jeopardy after loss to Mississippi State
Arkansas women's basketball needed a win Thursday at Mississippi State. The Razorbacks didn't get one. The Bulldogs led wire-to-wire and beat Arkansas 87-73.
Both Arkansas and Mississippi State entered the game on the NCAA Tournament bubble. ESPN's Charlie Creme had Mississippi State as one of his "last four in." Arkansas was his "first team out."
Now, the Razorbacks will likely need a win in their final regular season game against Texas A&M on Sunday and an SEC Tournament run to make the field of 68.
"It's going to come down to something real minute to separate the 67th, 68th, 69th and 70th teams," Arkansas coach Mike Neighbors said. "Let's make sure we've given (the selection committee) a lot of positives to look at. That's what we're going to keep striving for."
The loss also means Arkansas is a lock to play Missouri as either the No. 8 or No. 9 seed in the conference tournament. The No. 8 and No. 9 seeds face off March 9.
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Arkansas' offense struggles from start
Arkansas (19-11, 6-9 SEC) got off to a bad start on both ends of the floor. Mississippi State (20-8, 9-6) opened the game on a 12-1 run over the first 2:43. The Bulldogs ended the first quarter up 25-9.
The Razorbacks showed some life in the middle of the first half. Samara Spencer hit a 3-pointer at the first-quarter buzzer. Arkansas then made its first field goal of the second quarter, a 3-pointer by Makayla Daniels.
Mississippi State's lead quickly went from 19 to 13, but the Razorbacks missed their next eight shots. It was the second long scoring drought they faced after missing six in a row in the first quarter.
"That punch in the mouth is hard to come back from," Neighbors said. "We've been punched before. That first one in the first quarter was as hard as we'd been punched."
Razorbacks' comeback too little, too late
The Razorbacks were down as many as 28 in the third quarter, but a late 7-0 run and a series of short runs in the fourth quarter gave Arkansas a chance.
Arkansas got within 11 points with two minutes left, but the Razorbacks ran out of time to complete a comeback.
"Our approach was a lot better," Neighbors said of the second half. "Our togetherness was better.... If we can have that with each other and for each other, then I think we've got a chance to be really good. If we don't, then I think we're pretty average."
Samara Spencer's big game not enough
One game after going scoreless against Georgia, Spencer led all scorers with 25. It was the most she had scored since Dec. 17 against Creighton, when she had 26.
"It's good to have her back," Neighbors said of Spencer. "She's obviously a tremendous weapon when she is playing with confidence and playing at that speed."
Neighbors has said the Razorbacks are better when scoring is spread more evenly. Only one other player was in double figures: Daniels with 17.
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This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Arkansas women's basketball drops crucial game at Mississippi State
