FAYETTEVILLE — The University of Arkansas women’s basketball team didn’t get the start it wanted Saturday afternoon, but it applied an early knockout punch Sunday evening.
The Razorbacks made 8 of their first 10 shots and shot a blistering 58% in the first half to grab a big lead and cruise to an 83-63 victory over Belmont in Bud Walton Arena.
Arkansas (6-1) led 22-6 after Jersey Wolfenbarger’s three-pointer with 4 minutes, 13 seconds left in the opening quarter. Belmont (3-3) charged back, though, and pulled within 29-22 on a pair of free throws by Kilyn McGuff in the opening minute of the second quarter.
But the Razorbacks fired back with a 10-0 spurt capped by Sasha Goforth’s three-pointer to regain control and were never really challenged again.
That was quite different from a day earlier when Sam Houston State hung around for a half before the Razorbacks put the visitors away 92-66 with a big third quarter.
Goforth said Arkansas coach Mike Neighbors urged his team to start fast.
“Coach Neighbors came in the locker room and told us just to punch them from the get-go,” Goforth said. “No games, kind of how we’ve been doing. Sam Houston was obviously closer than we would have liked.
"The goal of this game was just to come out and punch them and don’t let them think they have a chance.”
Redshirt junior Erynn Barnum said the Razorbacks' defense was key. Arkansas scored 20 points off 13 Belmont turnovers en route to a 51-28 halftime lead. The Bruins finished with 19 turnovers.
“Obviously we can score, but it was emphasis on the defense today,” Barnum said.
“I think we knew they’re a very fundamental team,” Goforth added. “We kind of had it in our mind we had to guard them really well and really hard, and I think that’s what we did.”
Barnum led a balanced scoring attack for Arkansas with 15 points, while guard Samara Spencer added 13. Goforth and Wolfenbarger added 10 each for the Razorbacks, who made 18 of 31 shots from the floor and 8 of 13 from three-point range in the first half.
Destinee Wells was the only Belmont player in double figures with a game-high 20. The Bruins knocked off Ole Miss to begin the season, but never really got going Sunday.
Neighbors said that was the plan.
“If you follow Belmont, if you let those guys hang around, it’s down to the wire,” Neighbors said. “If you can get out and do what we did then it just allows you to breathe a little easier. They thrive on confidence, and this is the second time in a row we’ve done that in this building here.
“That’s a team that’s been tested with a win at Ole Miss, a close game at Georgia Tech, so I’m really proud of it. I think the start had a lot to do with it. It was massive.”
Spencer, a 5-7 freshman from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., continues to shine. She made 5 of 10 shots and also 3 of 5 from three-point range to go with 3 assists in almost 25 minutes of action. Spencer made her third start of the season, but second in a row.
The way she is playing is no surprise to Neighbors.
“I expect every shot she shoots to go in right now. I really do” he said. “She can still clean up, but has really settled in. … I think we’re settled into a starting lineup for a few games in a row now to see how we do with with her and (Makayla Daniels) out there together.
"She continues to play at a really high level in lots of situations."
Arkansas hits the road for its next game on Thursday as the Razorbacks travel to Central Florida for a 5 p.m. tipoff.