Middle Tennessee rallied to take the lead with under four minutes left but a 10-point halftime deficit proved to be too much, as the Blue Raiders dropped a 59-53 decision to visiting Arkansas Saturday night inside the historic Murphy Center in non-conference women’s basketball action.
Middle Tennessee was led by sophomore and Preseason Sun Belt co-Player of the Year Ebony Rowe, who posted her fourth double-double of the season, and 20th of her career, with a game-high tying 15 points and game-best 12 rebounds. She was joined in double figures by junior Kortni Jones, who finished with 12 points, including three 3-pointers, to go along with her seven assists.
Sophomore Janay Brinkley also poured in a career-high eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers, as the MT bench outscored Arkansas’ 15-13.
The Razorbacks placed a trio of starters in double-figure scoring, paced by 15, including 6-of-7 free throws, from Sarah Watkins. Dominique Robinson (13 points) and C’eira Ricketts (12) also contributed to the effort. Robinson hauled in a team-best six boards.
The Blue Raiders found themselves down 29-19 at the intermission after converting only 35.0 percent of their field goals in the opening 20 minutes. The lead swelled to 12, 40-28, by the 14:23 mark on a Quistelle Williams jumper but freshman Shanice Cason answered at the other end with a triple 17 seconds later to start a 10-3 run over the next five-and-a-half minutes as Middle Tennessee (4-4) pulled within five, 43-38, on a Jones trey.
After Williams halted the momentum with a jumper 30 seconds later, 3-pointers by Brinkley and junior Icelyn Elie sandwiched a Robinson bucket to make it a one possession game at 47-44 with 5:02 left.
Watkins pushed it back to five a short time later, however, Rowe dropped in an old-fashioned three-point play for a 49-47 score with 4:28 remaining. Following an Arkansas (6-1) turnover, Jones drained her second triple of the period to give the Blue Raiders their only lead, 50-49, with 3:47 to go.
Williams hit the second of a two-shot foul at 2:59 to force the game’s only tie and help the Razorbacks finish with a 9-3 spurt, as MT could only manage three Rowe free throws, all on separate trips to the line, in the waning minutes.
Arkansas had claimed an early 5-0 lead behind three points from Ashley Daniels, holding the Blue Raiders off the board until Jones’ first 3-pointer at 14:55. Three minutes later Lyndsay Harris increased the margin to eight, 13-5, with a triple and Watkins helped push it to a dozen, 16-8, following her own trey and then a jumper with 9:46 to play in the opening stanza.
Brinkley and Rowe would help Middle Tennessee claw back to an eight-point difference but again, the Razorbacks hit a 3-pointer, this time by Robinson, to extend it back to double digits. Brinkley’s corner trey at the 3:47 mark dropped the margin to eight and Arkansas was not able to make it more than a 10-point edge the remainder of the period, capping the scoring with a Ricketts jumper with 1:20 left.
The Blue Raiders return home for their second of seven home games out of eight in December when they play host to Austin Peay at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The contest will be broadcast on the WGNS Good Neighbor Network (1450 AM, 100.5 FM, 101.9 FM, over-the-air TV 11, worldwide at www.WGNSradio.com) with Dick Palmer and Duane Hickey on the call.
