Arkansas guard Saylor Poffenbarger (middle) puts up a shot Thursday over Alabama forward Meg Newman (42) and center Jeanna Cunningham during the Razorbacks’ 86-70 loss to the Crimson Tide at Walton Arena in Fayetteville. More photos at arkansasonline.com/22uawomensbball/. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)
FAYETTEVILLE — Eighteen days after being defeated by 18 points at home by the University of Arkansas women’s basketball team, Alabama returned the favor with a with an 86-70 victory Thursday night at Walton Arena.
Alabama (17-6, 4-4 SEC) used a dominant second quarter to create separation and withheld a late Arkansas rally to snap the Razorbacks’ two-game winning streak.
The Razorbacks (16-7, 4-4) were outscored 23-6 in the second quarter, including a 19-3 spurt for the Crimson Tide over the quarter’s final 6:24. The stretch proved to be the difference.
Alabama led by as many as 25 points after halftime before Arkansas pulled to within 76-67 late.
The Crimson Tide shot 50% (30 of 60) from the floor and 44.4% (12 of 27) from three-point range. They limited Arkansas to 35.3% (24 of 68). Alabama’s 86 points came after being held well below its season average in Arkansas’ 77-59 victory Jan. 14.
The Razorbacks and Crimson Tide, who entered first and third in the SEC in three-pointers taken per game, respectively, did not shy away from deep shots in the first quarter.
The teams combined for 19 shots beyond the arc in the opening 10 minutes. Alabama was 3 of 7 and Arkansas was 5 of 12.
Sarah Ashlee Barker for the scoring started with a three-pointer 20 seconds into the game. Arkansas’ Maryam Dauda answered with a three-point 16 seconds later to knot the game at 3-3.
It was back-and-forth for most of the first quarter. Dauda’s second second three-pointer gave the Razorbacks a 14-11 lead, but Jessica Timmons’ three-pointer tied the game again.
Alabama took a 20-16 lead, but a Saylor Poffenbarger three-pointer with 47 seconds left in the first quarter pulled Arkansas within 20-19 entering the second quarter.
The Crimson Tide pulled ahead by five points with free throws to start the second quarter, but Arkansas freshman guard Taliah Scott narrowed the advantage to 24-22 with a three-pointer.
Scott, whose 22.3 points per game were most in the SEC entering Thursday, returned for the first time in six games. She had not played since a Jan. 4 loss at Kentucky due to a back injury. On Thursday night, she finished with 10 points on 3-of-14 shooting.
Barker, who entered the game seventh in the SEC with 16.6 points per game, scored 11 of her game-high 25 points in the first half.
Poffenbarger made a three-pointer early in the third quarter to pull Arkansas within 47-32 and forced an Alabama timeout. The Crimson Tide finished the quarter by outscoring the Razorbacks 24-19, highlighted by a four-point play from Aaliyah Nye.
Alabama entered the fourth quarter ahead 71-51.
Nye led the SEC with 71 three-pointers entering the game (3.2 per game) and was 3 of 7 from distance against the Razorbacks. She scored 15 points, which were third-most to Barker’s 25 and Karly Weather’s 16 for the Tide.
Nye’s performance came two weeks after Arkansas bottled her up to just five points when the teams played in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
The Razorbacks made things interesting late in the fourth quarter when they pulled within 76-65 with 4:26 on a Scott three-point play.
Samara Spencer brought Arkansas within 76-67 with 3:38 remaining with two free throws, but Barker made back-to-back layups to extend the Alabama lead to 80-67.
Makayla Daniels hit a three-pointer with 2:23 to play to draw the deficit to 80-70, but Weathers countered with her own to make the Alabama lead 13 again.
Poffenbarger scored 23 points on 9-of-18 shooting to go with 11 rebounds in 30 minutes. It was her seventh double-double of the season.
Spencer added 14 points and 7 rebounds, and Daniels scored 11 points with 5 assists.
It was Alabama’s second consecutive victory in Fayetteville. The Crimson Tide won 69-66 in dramatic fashion last season when Hannah Barber hit a go-ahead three-pointer with eight seconds remaining.
With the loss, Arkansas moved into a three-way tie with Alabama and Vanderbilt for sixth place in the SEC.
The Razorbacks are scheduled to host Auburn at 5 p.m. Sunday with the game televised on the SEC Network.
Arkansas guard Makayla Daniels (43) drives to the lane past Alabama guard Sarah Ashlee Barker during the teams’ game Thursday night at Walton Arena in Fayetteville. More photos at arkansasonline.com/22uawomensbball/ (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Andy Shupe)
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