In-state game results in University of Arkansas win over A-State

Posted on February 3, 2024 by Brayden Morse

Razorbacks beat Red Wolves, 82-67

Delta Digital News Service

Friday, Nov. 17, 2023

JONESBORO, Ark. – First-year guard Taliah Scott’s 34 points helped the Arkansas Razorbacks women’s basketball team beat the Arkansas State Red Wolves 82-67 on Friday night at First National Bank Arena.

Scott played all 40 minutes in the game, shooting 12-21 from field-goal range and 9-9 on free-throws.

Arkansas State head coach Destinee Rogers expressed her thoughts on Scott’s performance.

“She’s definitely one of the best freshman players in the nation,” Rogers said.

On the other hand, A-State junior guard Izzy Higginbottom scored 27 points and was one of only two Red Wolves to score double-digit points.

Coach Rogers also expressed her thoughts on Higginbottom’s performance.

“Izzy showed up. She did her thing. Izzy put the team on her back,” Rogers said.

After the first quarter, the Red Wolves were only down 16-15. The Razorbacks’ three, three-pointers in the second quarter, gave them a 42-33 lead at halftime.

Razorbacks head coach Mike Neighbors gave his thoughts on the way his team played.

“Our group talks to each other. I was really proud of the talk they had in the locker room. Their tone was good, their energy was good. There were multiple voices talking. I have not had a team at Arkansas that can talk to each other like they do and the manner they do,” Neighbors said.

“Our group talks to each other. I was really proud of the talk they had in the locker room. Their tone was good, their energy was good. There were multiple voices talking. I have not had a team at Arkansas that can talk to each other like they do and the manner they do,”
Razorbacks head coach Mike Neighbors

An attendance of 3,208 people showed up for the game to support A-State, but Rogers feels like the team let the fans down.

“As a whole, I feel like we folded. We finally got people to show up and we had a nice crowd and great support. I feel like the fans deserve more. It’s disheartening and disappointing for our team to play the game that way,” Rogers said.

Neighbors gave his thoughts on the meaning of playing in-state teams and how Arkansas State’s crowd impacted the game.

“I knew the crowd was going to be honest from the last time we came over here. I thought it was a phenomenal atmosphere. I’m proud of the way the team embraced (playing an in-state team) it. It’s good for our state. 3,208 in attendance but it felt like more than that to me. I’m glad that our non-Arkansas kids embraced that,” Neighbors said.

Arkansas State stayed in close range of Arkansas in the first half. Only being down 11 at halftime to a Power-5 SEC school brings promise to the Red Wolves’ future.

A-State Red Wolves’s guard Wynter Rogers (2) shoots against the Razorbacks’s Saylor Poffenbarger (4) during the first half of an NCAA basketball game at First National Bank Arena in Jonesboro, Friday, Nov. 17, 2023. Atsuki Ohbuchi/Delta Digital News Service

“On a positive note, this is probably great for us to learn. These first three games were so tough. Getting an opportunity to learn early, I’m okay with that. If we’re going to learn this lesson, I’m good with learning this now,” Rogers said.

“On a positive note, this is probably great for us to learn. These first three games were so tough. Getting an opportunity to learn early, I’m okay with that. If we’re going to learn this lesson, I’m good with learning this now,”
A-State women’s basketball head coach Destinee Rogers

Arkansas scored 10 points from fast breaks, 28 from the paint and 13 from turnovers. The Razorbacks led the Red Wolves in all of these categories.

Arkansas’ best scoring run was 10 in the second quarter to increase their lead before halftime.

Higginbottom talked about the way Arkansas succeeded on their runs to beat A-State.

“Basketball is a game of runs. When they won on their runs, I don’t think we responded well to that. We laid down without responding back. We have to do better at throwing the first punch or punching back,” Higginbottom said.

The Razorbacks move to 4-0 on the season, playing their third-straight in-state game against University of Central Arkansas on Monday at 7 p.m. on SEC+.

The Red Wolves are now 1-2 on the season, playing another in-state game of their own against Hendrix on Tuesday at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.

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Brayden Morse is a multimedia journalism major in the School of Media and Journalism at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro. He can be reached at brayden.morse@smail.astate.edu.

FEATURE PHOTO: Red Wolves’s guard Crislyn Rose (3) is dribbles the ball past Razorbacks’s Samara Spencer (2) during the first half of an NCAA Basketball game at First National Bank Arena in Jonesboro, Friday, Nov. 17, 2023. Photo by Atsuki Ohbuchi