FAYETTEVILLE — The University of Arkansas women’s basketball team will look to snap a three-game losing streak when it hosts No. 25 Georgia tonight at Walton Arena in the regular-season home finale.
The Razorbacks (16-11, 6-8 SEC) are in the midst of playing five games in 10 days to close the regular season. Arkansas Coach Mike Neighbors admits that’s difficult especially with an active roster that includes five freshmen and two sophomores.
“It’s not any fun,” Neighbors said. “We do have a good plan, I think … rest is going to be the most important part because it’s Georgia. Then it’s Mississippi State and then it’s the SEC Tournament and then, hopefully, some form of a postseason.
“It has a compounding effect though on you. I think mentally, they want to be OK. But it’s such an experienced group, you don’t know for sure.”
Arkansas has been competitive in two of the past three games, but has led for less than 21/2 minutes of combined game time in the three-game losing streak.
The Razorbacks have also continued to deal with injuries. Junior guard Makayla Daniels, who is among the team leaders in scoring, rebounding, steals and assists, made her second straight start at Ole Miss on Tuesday after missing four games with a bone bruise. But she finished with just four points on 1-of-9 shooting in 27 minutes.
Neighbors said it’s a situation where she’s just dealing with the pain. Daniels’ durability is not in question as she started 81 consecutive games in her career before being sidelined by the injury three weeks ago.
“She’s not 100%, but she’s trying 100% and that’s all we’re going to continue to ask,” Neighbors said. “As long as she says and the doctor say she’s going to play, I’m going to trust her. And it’ll pay off for us at some point and time.”
In addition, junior Erynn Barnum, who led the team in rebounding through her first nine starts, didn’t play Tuesday after going down late in Sunday’s game against Kentucky. She missed six weeks earlier in the season because of a knee injury. But Neighbors said the issue Sunday was not a knee problem and her status is day-to-day.
Georgia (18-8, 7-7) has struggled lately as well, losing four of its past five. The Bulldogs lost 65-60 to last-place Auburn on Sunday. The Tigers finished the game on an 11-0 run to secure just their second league win of the season. Georgia went scoreless over the final 7:16. The Bulldogs led 60-54 after Jenna Staiti’s basket, but missed its last 11 shots from the floor and committed five turnovers as Auburn rallied for the win.
Staiti, a 6-4 senior, burned the Razorbacks for 20 points and 13 rebounds a year ago in the Bulldogs’ 75-73 win at the buzzer in Athens, Ga. This season, she is averaging a team-high 15.2 points and 7.8 rebounds. Senior guard Que Morrison, last season’s SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year, is among the league leaders, averaging 4.7 assists and 2.0 steals per game.
The Razorbacks finish the regular season at Mississippi State on Sunday. Tip-off time is slated for 5 p.m. Arkansas used a big second half to cruise to a 75-54 win over the Bulldogs on Jan. 23 at Walton Arena.