LSU women lose at Arkansas, pelted by a hailstorm of 3-pointers

LSU women’s basketball Kim Mulkey’s pregame nightmare before her team traveled to Arkansas came to life in a 40-minute horror film Thursday night in Fayetteville.

Mulkey knew her starting lineup featuring two post players didn’t match well against Arkansas' merry band of outside shooters that had made the Razorbacks' SEC leaders in 3-pointers made and attempted.

And once the Hogs got rolling swishing 3-pointers – 13 of ’em to be exact – 12th ranked LSU melted down for the first time this season. Arkansas' one-point edge at the end of the first quarter became an 11-point halftime cushion that grew to a 20-point lead heading into the final quarter before the game mercifully ended in 90-76 Tigers’ loss.

LSU’s formula for self-destruction was simple. Arkansas outscored LSU by 27 points (39-12) behind 3-point line, LSU outscored Arkansas by just four points (30-26) in points in the paint and Arkansas outscored LSU in points off turnovers by nine (20 points on 16 LSU turnovers to 11 points on 12 Arkansas turnovers).

“I don’t have the personnel to guard that style of offense yet,” said Mulkey, whose team fell to 17-4 overall and 5-3 in the SEC. “But you’ve got to hit shots on the road early. They were sagging (defensively) in the paint, we had some really good looks that we normally make and we just didn’t make them.

“Turning the ball over was surprising because of the sagging defense. I don’t understand having that many turnovers again when you’re not being pressured.”

Redshirt junior transfer guard Alexis Morris led LSU with 22 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter when the Hogs had things well under control. All-SEC senior guard Khayla Pointer was limited to 13 points (though she had 7 rebounds and 5 assists). Grad transfer forward Autumn Newby scored her LSU career high with 15 points.

That trio was no match for Arkansas guards redshirt senior Amber Ramirez (25 points, 5 of 8 3’s), junior Makayla Daniels (20 points, 3 of 6 3’s) and freshman Samara Spencer (20 points, 3 of 5 3’s.)

Ramirez, Daniels and Spencer accounted for 72.2 percent of Arkansas’ points, 74.1 percent of the Razorbacks’ field goals and 84.6 percent of the Hogs’ 3-pointers.

“This group has really gotten to where when it gets going, it goes up another level,” said Arkansas coach Mike Neighbors, whose squad improved to 14-6, 4-3 SEC.