Freshmen help Arkansas women down Kansas City for 3-0 start

Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Whitely Rogers hit a 3-pointer with 1:36 left Monday night, and Arkansas women’s basketball held on to beat Kansas City 89-81 at Bud Walton Arena.

The Razorbacks are 3-0. Kansas City is 2-1.

Rogers, a freshman guard, scored 17 points. Kyiah Prestridge, another freshman, led Arkansas with 18.

The game dragged at times. Both teams were called for more than 25 fouls.

Neither side did much with all those trips to the line. The Hogs missed 12 free throws and the Roos missed 11.

Arkansas still scored enough to stay in front for most of the night.

Prestridge gets going early

Prestridge scored 8 of Arkansas’ first 10 points. Kansas City went on a 7-0 run during that stretch and led 15-10 at the first media timeout.

She hit a 3 with 1:28 left in the first quarter to reach double figures. By the end of the period she had 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting.

The Roos still led 25-22 after one.

Prestridge made another 3 at the 9:14 mark of the second quarter to tie it at 25. Arkansas didn’t trail the rest of the way.

The Hogs went on an 18-3 run over the first 4:32 of the quarter and led by 15.

Kansas City cut it to eight with 20 seconds left in the half. Fifth-year guard Kateri Poole made 1 of 2 free throws, and Arkansas led 51-42 at the break.

Third quarter slump

Arkansas shot 55.6% (20-of-36) in the first half. Prestridge had 16 points at halftime. Rogers made two 3s in the second quarter and had 8.

The shots stopped falling after halftime.

Senior guard Emily Robinson scored on a drive to open the third quarter and got the lead back to double digits. Kansas City then scored nine straight over four minutes.

The Razorbacks missed 10 shots in a row and turned it over four times during that run. Their lead was down to five with 3:29 left in the quarter.

Senior forward Ayianna Johnson finally scored on a layup. The Roos answered with five straight points and got within two with two minutes left in the period.

Senior forward D’Asia Thomas-Harris scored the next five for Arkansas, including an and-1.

Kansas City won the third quarter 19-15. It’s the first quarter Arkansas has lost this season. The Hogs led 66-61 going into the fourth.

Rogers makes the late plays

All five Arkansas players on the floor scored early in the fourth quarter, and the lead grew to 10 in the first 3:30.

Kansas City came back again. Robinson turned it over, and sophomore forward Daniah Trammell fouled on the other end. Roos guard Elauni Bennett made both free throws to make it a four-point game with 5:25 left.

Trammell fouled out two minutes later. She had 9 points.

Rogers scored on a layup to push the lead back to eight with 2:37 to go. She stole the ball on Kansas City’s next possession.

Thomas-Harris grabbed an offensive rebound and tipped it in.

The Roos scored three more points on a layup and a free throw. Then Rogers hit her 3. She and sophomore guard Grace McCallop each made two free throws in the last 25 seconds.

Up next

Arkansas started Rogers, Prestridge, Thomas-Harris and senior guards Jianna Morris and Robinson.

The Razorbacks play UA-Pine Bluff at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, at Bud Walton Arena. SEC Network+ will stream the game.