This time there was no Shameka Christon to turn to when it mattered most. She is now just a memory. Arkansas got a taste what life will be like without its All-American guardturned-WNBA player, as the Lady’Backs lost their exhibition opener to Everyone’s Internet 80-77 Friday night. In front of 633 spectators at Bud Walton Arena, the Lady’Backs battled through periods of inconsistency on both the offensive and defensive ends in a game that featured a lot of transition baskets. After jumping out to a 41-32 half-time lead, Arkansas wilted under

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pressure applied by a team that featured former collegiate players who attended schools such as South Carolina and Oregon State. Everyone’s Internet, which lost to No. 3 LSU 78-70 Tuesday and beat Houston 77-55 a day later, built a lead as big as 11 when Dee Dee Warley scored on a lay-up to make it 75-64 with 4:58 remaining in the game. While the Lady’Backs battled back in the closing minutes, they were unable to piece together a run that would put them over the top. No player was able to assume the role that Christon once held as a go-to-player. Arkansas coach Susie Gardner, nevertheless, said that the Lady’Backs are beginning to find their identity. "I was kind of excited coming over today, because it was almost like, ‘What is going to happen?’" Gardner said. "It was all of a sudden a surprise birthday party. You did not know who was going to show up. I wasn’t nervous. It was just kind of an anticipation as to who was going to step up."

She got her answer--at least for one night. Sophomore forward Sarah Pfeifer scored 17 points and junior guard Sheree Thompson added 16 to help keep Arkansas within striking distance until the final seconds. With junior forward Ruby Vaden having played only four minutes as she began her comeback from offseason knee surgery, the Lady’Backs received contributions from both starters and role players. "That’s what’s exciting about this team — you never know [who is going to score]" she said. "It’s going to make it tougher for teams to prepare for us when they are supposed to shut down, because we have a lot of balance."

Sophomore forward Danielle Allen and junior guard Rochelle Vaughn each pitched in eight points, while reserve point guard Kristin Peoples added nine in the losing effort. "For Arkansas to play that well with Ruby being out, I commend them for just really being so well-prepared this early in the season," said Everyone’s Internet coach Kevin Cook, who also is an assistant for the WNBA’s Houston Comets. "When they get Ruby back, they’re going to be a fine ball club."

Down 18-17 with 11:37 remaining in the first half, Arkansas embarked on a 9-0 spurt that saw the Lady’Backs create a 27-18 lead in a 3:13 span. Pressuring Everyone’s Internet guard Sonia Chase near the time line, the Lady’Backs forced a series of turnovers that led to two fastbreak baskets by Thompson and one driving lay-up by senior guard Adrienne Bush. Arkansas was able to maintain its lead after Everyone’s Internet recovered following a timeout. In the final minute before halftime, Allen nailed a turnaround jumpshot and Peoples converted a turnover by Warley into a lay-up in transition as the Hogs held a 41-32 lead at the break.

Yet, Arkansas struggled mightily in the opening minutes of the last period. Cook implemented an effective halfcourt press that disrupted the Lady’Backs’ backcourt and allowed for Everyone’s Internet’s forward Jocelynn Penn to be the beneficiary of Arkansas’ mistakes. Penn, who played her college ball at South Carolina scored 18 of her game-high 26 points in the second half as she sparked a 13-4 run that gave Everyone’s Internet a 69-62 advantage with 7:00 left in the game. Penn scored eight points during the spurt, as she thrived in transition. At one point, Penn was responsible for 13 of Everyone’s Internet’s 18 points during a 5:14 interval that proved to be the difference of the game "I think they were just as tough as an SEC team," Pfeifer said. "We knew they were quick." Gardner agreed and said that the team will address some concerns, including the backcourt. "At times we played hard but we didn’t make good decisions," she said. "We made some poor passes. But we played hard for the most part."

And at this point, that’s good enough for a coach who is beginning to learn more about her team.