FAYETTEVILLE — Samara Spencer appears to have hit her stride in SEC play.
Spencer poured in a game-high 19 points and keyed a big third-quarter surge to help the University of Arkansas roll to a 74-54 women’s SEC basketball victory over Mississippi State on Sunday afternoon in Bud Walton Arena.
Arkansas used a quick 11-0 spurt early in the third quarter to put the Bulldogs on their heels after the game was tied 28-28 at halftime. Spencer hit 3 three-pointers during that surge to turn a 32-30 deficit into a 41-32 Arkansas lead with 6 minutes, 15 seconds left in the third quarter.
Amber Ramirez and Sasha Goforth then combined for eight straight points in less than two minutes to put Arkansas in control 55-38 with 2:27 remaining in the quarter. Ramirez hit a driving layup off a nice cut and followed with a three-pointer. Goforth then converted a three-point play to give the Razorbacks its biggest lead to that point.
Mississippi State got no closer than 13 the rest of the way.
Spencer, a freshman from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., put together her second straight strong performance after struggling to begin SEC play. She followed her 18-point night on Thursday with a season-high 19, after totalling just 19 in her first four SEC games combined
Spencer hit 6 of-12 shots from the floor, including 5 of 8 from three-point range, after going 7 of 13 and 4 of 8 from beyond the arc at Alabama. That’s a far cry from a meager 7 of 27 (26%) from the floor in her first four SEC games combined.
The 5-9 guard credited associate head coach Todd Schaefer for helping her work through a bit of a shooting slump.
“Honestly, I’ve just kinda gotten out of my head,” Spencer said. “As a freshman, sometimes you get into your head when you’re going through a slump. I talked to Coach Todd Schaefer a lot about that slump and he’s kinda worked me through it.
“Throughout that whole entire time, I was kinda getting my self back right, getting in the gym more. And I think it’s starting to pay off.” The Razorbacks (13-6, 3-3 SEC) shot 32% from the floor (11 of 34) in the first half, but made 11 of 18 (61%) and scored 32 points in the third quarter to take control and lead 60-45 entering the fourth.
Arkansas Coach Mike Neighbors said the team responded well when Schaefer was calm with them at halftime after a tough shooting half.
“He said, ‘It’s just gonna take one of you guys to make one shot and you’re all great shooters, shoot’em when y0u’re open,’” Neighbors said. “And Sam goes bam. And then we go bam and then we go bam. And you look down and it’s a 32-point quarter.” Neighbors also made the decision to play a shorter rotation since four of Mississippi State’s starters average 37 minutes a night. His players were up for the challenge.
Goforth and others combined to limit 6-2 junior Rickea Jackson, the SEC’s leading scorer, to a season-low eight points on 4-of-15 shooting.
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“We kinda said, ‘If they’re not gonna sub, we’re not gonna sub,’” Neighbors said. “And we rolled with it and I thought, as a result we got in a really good flow. We were really connected defensively. To hold Rickea Jackson to 4 for 15 really speaks to the job Sasha Goforth did initially on her and then the next wave of help that came.” Goforth, a Fayetteville native who transferred to Arkansas after playing her freshman season at Oregon State, registered a double-double with 13 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. But she wasn’t even thinking about offense.
“I knew what she [Jackson] was averaging,” Go-forth said. “And I like a good challenge, especially defensively. I pride myself on defense. I was just really focused.” The Razorbacks had plenty of offense with four players in double figures. Ramirez added 17 points and Makayla Daniels 15 to go along along with Spencer’s 19 and Goforth’s 13.
Anastasia Hayes led Mississippi State (11-7, 2-4) with 17 points, while Catterion Thompson added 11 off the bench.
The Razorbacks continue SEC play at home as they host No. 11 LSU on Thursday. Tip-off time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The Tigers were upset by Florida 73-72 on Sunday.