FAYETTEVILLE — University of Arkansas women’s basketball Coach Mike Neighbors got the crowd he was looking for Sunday afternoon in Walton Arena.
The Razorbacks just couldn’t match Kentucky’s performance.
All-America guard Rhyne Howard poured in a game-high 29 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as Kentucky controlled the game from almost the beginning en route to a 78-55 win over Arkansas in front of a crowd of 8,292 — the eighth largest home crowd in program history.
Neighbors had taken to social media imploring Arkansas fans to come out to celebrate Amber Ramirez on her senior day and they responded. But Kentucky made sure the big crowd was never a factor.
Neighbors said the Wildcats are getting healthy and beginning to play like the team that was picked to finish in the top 3 in the SEC.
“This is the team that’s been ranked 11 of the 15 weeks of the year,” Neighbors said. “Coaches picked ’em three or four in the preseason. They’ve been hurt. They’ve been banged up. They haven’t had their full roster. They’ve had it for the last few games.”
Kentucky (13-11, 6-8 SEC) has now won four in a row, after losing four straight.
Howard, the two-time SEC Player of the Year, scored 11 points in the first quarter and hit 3-of-3 three-pointers to help the Wildcats to a nine-point lead and they pushed it to 40-29 at halftime.
Kentucky put together a 26-point third quarter to take command to lead 66-44 and cruised from there.
Ramirez hit a three-pointer for the game’s first points. She added another for an 8-6 Arkansas lead with 6 minutes 24 seconds left in the first quarter. That would be the Razorbacks’ last lead of the day.
Arkansas made 4 of 18 (22%) from three-point range and 11 of 21 (52.4%) from the free-throw line.
Howard led a Kentucky barrage from the three-point line, making 5 of 10. The Wildcats hit 10 of 22 (45.4%) for the game. Dre’una Edwards also registered a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds, while Robyn Benton chipped in 11 points — all off the bench.
Neighbors said the Wildcats’ strong start put his team back on their heels immediately.
“They just punched us in the mouth with Howard getting off to such a good start,” Neighbors said. “I give Kentucky the credit. They were disruptive of what we were trying to do and they did about what they wanted to do.
Ramirez led Arkansas (16-10, 6-7) with 18 points, including four three-pointers. She was the only Razorback to reach double figures. Sasha Goforth chipped in nine.
There was a scary moment late when redshirt junior Erynn Barnum went down and had to be helped off the floor with 3:17 left in the fourth quarter. But Neighbors said it was not related to the knee problem that kept her out of action for six weeks earlier this year and didn’t appear to be serious.
Junior Makayla Daniels started and saw her first action since suffering a knee injury in the second quarter of the game at Tennessee almost three weeks ago. She finished with 7 points and 2 assists in almost 25 minutes. Neighbors acknowledged he subbed a little earlier than normal in the fourth quarter. But he also took into consideration the remaining schedule.
The Razorbacks have three games in the next seven days, including a quick turnaround at Ole Miss on Tuesday in a game that was rescheduled because of covid-19 issues within the Rebels’ program. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m.