UA women start fast, hold on

NWA Media/DAVID GOTTSCHALK - 11/14/14 - University of Arkansas Razorback assistant coach Christy Smith and head coach Jimmy Dykes during half time of the Nicholls State game Friday November 14, 2014 at Bud Walton Arena on the campus of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Arkansas won the game 63-52.

Arkansas' women's basketball team had a fight on its hands Thursday night against Middle Tennessee, but the Razorbacks landed the most punches.

Senior Jhasmin Bowen had a game-high 19 points and seven rebounds and sophomore Jessica Jackson added 14 points and seven rebounds as Arkansas defeated Middle Tennessee 58-51 at the Murphy Center in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Arkansas (3-0) never trailed in the game as it handed the Blue Raiders (1-2) just their fifth home loss since 2006. That was just the type of performance Coach Jimmy Dykes was looking for after his Razorbacks opened their season with relatively easy victories against Nicholls State (63-52) and Savannah State (75-46) in Fayetteville.

"We needed this," Dykes said. "We really needed to go somewhere and be punched in the nose."

Sophomore Kelsey Brooks finished with 10 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists for Arkansas, and senior guard Calli Berna had 7 points and 4 assists. Brooks has scored at least 10 points in every game this season.

Arkansas junior Melissa Wolff had two points and eight rebounds while holding Olivia Jones, Middle Tennessee's leading scorer, to 3-of-14 shooting and 13 points, 5 below her season average.

The Razorbacks outscored the Blue Raiders 9-0 to open the game as Arkansas held Middle Tennessee without a field goal for 5:04.

Jackson (11) and Bowen (15) combined for 26 points in the half. Jackson scored eight of the team's first 12 points and 11 of the first 15. Bowen went on a run of her own at the 12:05 mark in the first half, scoring 10 of the Razorbacks' next 11 points as Arkansas built an 18-point lead.

Arkansas' defense held the Blue Raiders without a field goal from the 8:30 mark to 1:45, a span of 6:45, and Middle Tennessee shot just 25.9 percent from the field.

"How about the start we had?" Dykes said. "From the get-go, we just jumped on them. I kept telling them they were going to fight their way back into it. This is Middle Tennessee. They've been to six straight NCAA Tournaments. But, man, I'm glad I'm the head coach of the Razorbacks tonight."

Middle Tennessee began to chip away at Arkansas' lead in the second half, cutting it to 44-41 with 9:17 left. But Arkansas answered on consecutive possessions with a basket by Khadijah West and scooping, left-handed layup by Berna that gave Arkansas a 48-41 lead with 8:16 remaining.

Middle Tennessee pulled to within 51-45 with 4:05 left, but the Razorbacks defense clamped down and allowed only four free throws by Jones and layup by Gabby Lyon over the final four minutes as Arkansas sealed the victory.

Arkansas held Middle Tennessee to 28.1 percent shooting from the field, including 25 percent from behind the three-point line. Arkansas shot 39.6 percent from the field, 31.8 percent from behind the three-point line.

"To come in here and be the fifth team to win here in 10 years, that's a major statement," said Dykes, whose team plays host to Northwestern (La.) State at 2 p.m. Sunday at Walton Arena in Fayetteville. "What do we do now? We celebrate. We go right back to work tomorrow.

"I didn't come here to win one or two or three games. I came here to build a program."

Sports on 11/21/2014