AUBURN, Ala. — Sarah Watkins and Ashley Daniels knocked down the shots when it counted most Sunday at Auburn, Arena.
Arkansas’ offense struggled and the Razorbacks trailed for much of the game, but Watkins made a tough jumper in the lane with 32 seconds left and Daniels converted two free throws with five seconds remaining as Arkansas held on for a 51-48 victory against Auburn to extend its SEC winning streak to eight games.
“We’ll take wins any way we can get them,” Arkansas Coach Tom Collen said. “I know it probably wasn’t a very pretty game for national TV, but the bottom line was if anybody was out there watching, we found a way.
“We showed a lot of heart. We hung in. We played with some confidence.”
Neither team was particularly sharp Sunday.
Arkansas (19-5, 8-4 SEC) shot 34 percent (18 of 53) from the field, 57.1 percent (8 of 14) from the free-throw line and was hurt by 19 turnovers, including 11 in the first half as the Tigers took a 28-25 lead into the break. Auburn (11-15, 3-10) wasn’t much better, shooting34 percent (16 of 47) from the field and 60 percent (12 of 20) from the free-throw line to go along with 19 turnovers of its own.
Watkins led Arkansas with a game-high 14 points but was just 6 of 21 from the field. Daniels added 10 points, while Lyndsay Harris and reserve Calli Berna chipped in nine each. Harris and Berna accounted for five of Arkansas’ seven three pointers as the Razorbacks shot 41.2 percent (7 of 17) from behind the line.
Arkansas guard C’eira Ricketts was 1 of 6 from the field and finished with 3 points, but she had 4 steals to eclipse the school’s career record with 294.
Camille Glymph came off the bench to lead Auburn with 10 points.
Arkansas trailed 18-16 at the seven-minute mark of the first half. It was shooting 6 of 14 (43 percent) from the floor at that point, but the Razorbacks already had 11 turnovers. The Razorbacks’ shooting soon took a turn for the worse as Arkansas went 5:33 without a field goal, but the teams were still tied at 25-25 with four seconds left in the half before a three-pointer by Glymph gave Auburn a 28-25 halftime lead.
Neither team established control in the second half. There were 11 ties and 12 lead changes before Watkins made her tough jumper off a drive to the basket with 32 seconds left to give Arkansas a 49-47 lead.
“You got to love her,” Collen said. “She went in there and made a tough shot under contact. It wasn’t an easy, uncontested layup. It was a tough shot, and for her to come back and make that shot after having a rough night like she did, I think that says a lot about her.”
Each team called a timeout before Auburn sophomore Tyrese Tanner drove to the basket and was fouled. She made 1 of 2 free throws to cut Arkansas’ lead to 49-48, but Auburn then fouled Daniels, who made both free throws to seal the victory.
“It was a very disappointing loss,” Auburn Coach Nell Fortner said. “We had some defensive breakdowns towards the end of the game, and that’s what cost us the game.”
Arkansas returns to Fayetteville for its final two regular-season home games in contention for a first-round bye at the SEC Tournament, which begins March 1 in Nashville, Tenn. The Razorbacks play host to LSU at 7 p.m. Thursday, then get Mississippi State at 2 p.m. Sunday.
“I’m just happy for these kids right now,” Collen said.“I’m so happy that they recovered out of the slow start.
They’ve won eight straight.
They’re playing with a lot of confidence. We get to go home for two more. We won on national TV.
“I think we’re headed in the right direction.”
Sports, Pages 13 on 02/13/2012