Keeping an electric Oregon offense at bay for an entire 40 minutes was something Mike Neighbors knew would be a tall task for his University of Arkansas women’s basketball team.
His 17th-ranked Razorbacks entered a top-20 clash with a Ducks team averaging 85.4 points per game, which ranked ninth most in the country. Arkansas was able to keep the high-octane Oregon offense in check for 32 minutes Tuesday, but the Ducks’ explosion came over the game’s final eight minutes.
Arkansas (13-1) held a 7-point lead early in the fourth quarter, but was outscored 26-12 down the stretch by No. 16 Oregon, falling 85-78 in the San Diego Invitational opener inside Pechanga Arena.
“The fourth quarter will haunt me tonight,” Neighbors said. “I won’t sleep much. I’ll rewatch it. I hate for us to be up [seven] points with eight [minutes] to play and not be able to get it home.”
Arkansas matched its largest lead with just over eight minutes left, 66-59, but 5 three-pointers by Oregon proved too large to overcome. Arkansas shot 23.5% in the final quarter in suffering its first loss of the season after tying the program’s second-best start ever.
“If it doesn’t hurt to lose a little bit, then you’re probably not interested enough,” Neighbors said. “You probably don’t care enough if it’s not stinging a little bit. So, I’m glad it stung the appropriate amount.”
The Razorbacks trailed 77-75 with 1:24 remaining after a jumper from Erynn Barnum, but a three-pointer late in the shot clock from Chance Gray gave the Ducks a two-possession lead on the ensuing possession. The margin didn’t get closer than five points again.
“They made some huge shots,” Neighbors said of the Ducks (10-1). “We would get a stop, and they’d rebound it and kick it out, and their kids would hit a three. But they’re good players, they’re going to do that. I thought they had to play really well as well to beat us. I’m encouraged, not discouraged.”
Arkansas led for 20 minutes, 51 seconds, helped in large part by a near-triple-double performance from Samara Spencer. The sophomore guard scored 20 points, dished out 10 assists and hauled in 7 rebounds.
Spencer, alongside senior guard Makayla Daniels, were tasked with facing one of the nation’s best backcourts in Te-Hina Paopao and Endyia Rogers. The two Razorbacks combined to score 35 points.
“Going head-to-head, obviously the other two came out with a win,” Neighbors said. “And I know that’s all Mak and Sam will talk about … But I’m really proud of them, and I think they stack up with a couple of the best in the country for sure.”
Daniels got the game started with a tough step-back jumper, but Oregon raced out to a 10-4 lead as Grace VanSlooten led the Ducks’ charge, scoring their first three buckets.
Barnum scored 22 points, sparked by a 3-of-3 clip on three-pointers during the game’s first 15 minutes.
“Erynn is such a capable scorer,” Neighbors said. “It’s going to hopefully get her going to where she’ll feel more confident to shoot them earlier in the game and in more situations. That makes her harder to score against when she starts driving it. You know, she had 22 and nine [rebounds], no turnovers.”
An 18-point half from VanSlooten helped Oregon grab the lead from Arkansas just before intermission. The Ducks used a 9-2 run following a timeout with 2:44 left in the second quarter to overcome a 35-29 deficit and take a 38-37 advantage into halftime.
“I just thought she was really aggressive,” Neighbors said of VanSlooten. “Jackie Nared is on that staff, one of my former players, and she told me, she said, ‘This kid works as hard as anybody we ever had at Washington.’ She obviously played really confidently.”
Oregon extended its lead to five points early in the third quarter, but Spencer and Daniels knocked down back-to-back threes to tie the game 48-48. Saylor Poffenbarger, who was named the SEC’s Freshman of the Week for the third time prior to the game, went on a 5-0 spurt of her own to help Arkansas take a 59-55 lead.
Another three-pointer by Daniels with 8:30 left in the fourth gave Arkansas a 66-59 lead it was unable to maintain. Oregon shot 55.6% in the fourth quarter, while the Razorbacks went cold, and the Ducks surged to their first top-25 win of the season.
Despite the loss, Neighbors said he thinks the game prepared his team for the postseason.
I promise you this has an NCAA Sweet 16 tournament feel out here," Neighbors said.
Arkansas' Jersey Wolfenbarger did not play. She is battling an illness that Neighbors said he is hopeful won’t prohibit her from competing in today’s third-place game against South Florida at 3 p.m. Central.
The Bulls (10-4) lost 88-86 in overtime to No. 3 Ohio State on Tuesday.