UALR series comes to Walton for first time

Arkansas women's basketball coach Mike Neighbors is shown during a game against Arkansas-Little Rock on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2019, at Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock.

FAYETTEVILLE — The University of Arkansas women’s basketball team managed to pull out a tough win Thursday night, despite missing a couple of players because of injuries.

The Razorbacks (8-2) got a big three-pointer from sophomore transfer Sasha Goforth in the final minute to grab the lead for good and went on to a 66-62 win over Jackson State, despite being without starter Erynn Barnum and her backup 6-3 freshman Emrie Ellis.

And Razorbacks Coach Mike Neighbors said Barnum and Ellis could be out again for today’s 4 p.m. tip-off against in-state opponent University of Arkansas-Little Rock in Walton Arena.

Instead, Arkansas got contributions from lots of different sources including a double-double from Goforth (11 points, 10 rebounds) and a solid 18 minutes off the bench from 6-3 junior Destinee Oberg to outlast the a talented Jackson State team.

No matter who’s available, Neighbors expects a challenge from the Trojans, who are coached by friend and fellow Arkansan Joe Foley.

“They got a big-time scorer and a great point guard,” Neighbors said. “You know their defense is always gonna scheme ya and then guard the heck out of ya, too.”

Foley has 821 career victories in his storied coaching career. There’s only four active Division I women’s coaches with more wins than Foley and they are all giants in the game. Tara VanDerveer, Geno Auriemma, C. Vivian Stringer and Gary Blair can lay claim to to 15 national championships, 40 Final Four appearances and more than 4,100 career victories between them.

Blair’s Texas A&M Aggies defeated UALR 65-50 in College Station on Dec. 1. Arkansas will be the fourth SEC opponent for the Trojans (5-4) and they will host Alabama on Thursday. So, Neighbors knows they are battle tested. It’s a hallmark of Foley’s teams, Neighbors said.

“They’ve played more SEC teams than we will have played in the month of January by themselves,” Neighbors said. “But that’s what he does. That’s how he’s built this thing. That’s how they get to the NCAA Tournament. That’s their blueprint, play the best possible people you can in preparation.”

UALR has had some problems of its own keeping key players on the floor. Post player Krystan Vornes missed the Trojans’ last game because of an infection, and leading scorer Sali Kourouma has also been sidelined some this season with a knee problem. But Foley said they are getting healthier.

“We’re close,” Foley said. “We’re starting to get 12 people in practice. KV [Vornes], our post player, didn’t get to play against Texas A&M. She had an infection, lost 13 pounds. So she’s gaining it back. … You know our roster’s changed about every game for the last three or four games.

“I’m looking forward to being close to healthy. I think they’ll all get to play some against Arkansas. When we’re healthy, when we’re playing well, practicing, we’ve been pretty good at times.”

The Razorbacks have won each of the three meetings all-time, including each of the last two years in Little Rock. But this will be the first meeting ever in Fayetteville. Foley acknowledged it will be special to play them in Walton Arena.

“Being an Arkansas boy, you always dream of playing up on The Hill,” Foley said. “I’ve worked camps when Eddie Sutton was up there and Mike and I are friends and I’ve known those guys forever. To be able to compete against friends at that place is special.

“You never even thought about playing up there. Things have changed the last two or three years. I give Mike credit and give [Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek] for opening it up and taking the opportunity to let us all play.”