Hogs beat Northwestern State on Elementary Day, improves to 2-0

Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.

Arkansas shot 38.8% from the field Friday night and still won by 30.

The Razorbacks beat Northwestern State 89-59 at Bud Walton Arena, mostly by chasing down missed shots and taking the ball away. The Lady Demons gave it up 34 times.

Arkansas is 2-0. Northwestern State fell to 1-1.

It was Elementary Day in Fayetteville, and a lot of the 12,327 people in the stands were grade schoolers. That crowd ranks third in program history.

Emily Robinson, a senior guard, scored 18 to lead the Hogs. Whitley Rogers had 16. It was the first big game for the freshman guard from Arkansas.

Daniah Trammell, a sophomore forward, added 10 points. D’Asia Thomas-Harris pulled down 12 rebounds.

Missed shots turned into second chances

NSU actually shot better, hitting 41.7% from the field.

The Razorbacks just took a lot more shots. They made 13 more baskets than NSU and also made 15 free throws.

Arkansas won the boards 51-35. Twenty-seven of those were offensive rebounds, the most by the Hogs in a game since at least 2004.

It’s the second straight game they’ve forced a pile of turnovers. Last time out, Arkansas forced 51 against LSU New Orleans for a program record.

KP Parr scored 20 for NSU, the high mark for either team.

Arkansas held Chloe Donnell to two points. She’d scored 46 in NSU’s opener.

Freshmen in the starting five

Two freshmen started for Arkansas, Rogers and Kyiah Prestridge. Seniors Jianna Morris, Thomas-Harris and Robinson made up the rest of the lineup.

Prestridge scored the first points of the night. It was a second-chance layup after a Northwestern State turnover.

NSU led 10-9 at the first media timeout. Then the Lady Demons went 0-for-6 over the last 5:28 of the quarter, and the Razorbacks scored 16 of the next 18 points.

Robinson and guard Beautiful Waheed both hit 3s during that run. The strangest play of the night came in that stretch, too. NSU guard Karma Wynn went up for a layup at her own basket, and Arkansas got the two points.

Morris and Robinson both picked up early fouls. The Hogs still led 25-13 after one.

The second quarter crawled. Each team had one field goal through the first 3:38.

Rogers took over late in the period. She scored eight of Arkansas’ last 10 points before halftime and finished the half with a 3 at the buzzer.

Lady Demons made runs, Hogs answered

Arkansas led by 20 at the break. Rogers had eight points to lead the team, and Thomas-Harris already had nine rebounds.

Northwestern State opened the third quarter on a 12-2 run. It took 3:53 and cut the lead to 10.

The Razorbacks came right back with a 13-1 run over the next three minutes. Robinson ended it with a 3 after a turnover.

Kateri Poole, a fifth-year player, hit a shot right before the third-quarter horn. Arkansas won the quarter 23-20.

NSU scored the first seven points of the fourth to get within 16. The Hogs answered with a 14-2 run that lasted until 2:58 remained.

The Lady Demons made two straight layups after that. They didn’t make another field goal.

Over the last 2:33, NSU scored three points, all at the free-throw line. Arkansas scored nine. Trammell had an and-1, and Robinson made her last 3 with 1:02 to play.

The Razorbacks host Kansas City on Monday, Nov. 9, at Bud Walton Arena. Tipoff is 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network+.