FAYETTEVILLE — University of Arkansas women’s basketball Coach Mike Neighbors said earlier this week that Samara Spencer was ready to play as a freshman.
The 5-9 guard from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., proved her coach was right in Friday’s exhibition game.
Spencer scored 16 points and added 5 assists and 4 steals off the bench to help the Razorbacks to a 114-55 rout of Arkansas-Fort Smith in Walton Arena.
She combined with junior Makayla Daniels to produce 27 points, 10 assists, 10 steals and zero turnovers from the lead-guard spot against the Division II Lady Lions.
Spencer talked about feeling some nerves stepping onto the Walton Arena floor for the first time, but growing up in a basketball-rich area helped her prepare well.
“It all just comes from where I’m from, Fort Lauderdale being a basketball city,” Spencer said. “That’s what it is. Basketball revolves around everybody. The fact that I came from there and everything prepared me for it. Everybody that I’ve came across in my years.”
She came up with eight points in just five minutes of action in the second quarter to help the Razorbacks to a 63-30 halftime lead.
Neighbors has seen Spencer perform well in practice, but even he acknowledged it’s different when the lights come on for game time. But she was ready.
“You don’t know how it’s gonna translate, but she has been practicing that way,” Neighbors said. “She’s very coachable, which when you say freshman-ready that’s usually what comes to mind with me. She’s able to take coaching, has adjusted to the speed of the game, has got the confidence of her teammates. She delivered.”
Neighbors said he got a good look at every player on the roster, which is the purpose of an exhibition.
“We treated it like a final exam,” Neighbors said. “That’s what we told them. I wanted to get everyone five minutes or more, which we did. We got everybody seven-plus [minutes], which gives us a bunch of film.”
Spencer had lots of help offensively as four other Razorbacks reached double figures. Sophomore Sasha Goforth, a Fayetteville High graduate who transferred after playing a year at Oregon State, finished with a team-high 17 points. Amber Ramirez added 14, while Daniels and Marquesha Davis chipped in 11 each.
Erynn Barnum, along with freshmen Jersey Wolfenbarger and Emrie Ellis all tied for a game-high nine rebounds each.
Paige Elston finished with a game-high 20 points, including 4-of-6 from three-point range, for UAFS.
Ramirez got Arkansas going, making the first three shots of the game for an 8-0 lead less than two minutes into the opening quarter.
Arkansas hosts Tarleton State to open the season on Wednesday evening. Tip-off time is slated for 7 p.m. It also starts a string of three games in five days ending at No. 2 Connecticut on Nov. 14.