Arkansas senior guard Lyndsay Harris propels the Razorbacks with a team-high 38 3-pointers this season as the team heads to take on Mississippi State on Thursday. Arkansas is looking for its fourth straight Southeastern Conference win. Photo by Logan Webster.
After dropping their first four games of conference play, the Arkansas women’s basketball team is searching for their fourth straight win in the Southeastern Conference.
The Razorbacks defeated LSU Sunday 72-52 in Baton Rouge, La., and will travel to Mississippi State Thursday to try and get their second win on the road in conference.
“We’re playing well right now,” coach Tom Collen said. “We’ve won three in a row, so I think we’re going down there with some confidence. We know it’s going to be a tough game and we’re going to have to rely on that experience and that confidence now and see if we can’t keep it going for more game.”
Mississippi State comes into Thursday’s game also on a win streak after winning its last two against Auburn and Ole Miss.
The Lady Bulldogs are holding their opponents to just 34.4 percent shooting, while averaging a 38.3 field goal percentage.
“They’ve got veteran guards and a good defensive team,” Collen said. “Really you go right down the line statistically and they look very similar to us.”
All three of Arkansas’ SEC wins have been by a margin of 20 points or more.
During their losing streak, Arkansas lost by an average of almost 15 points.
“I think we may have gotten a little rattled,” Collen said. “I think looking back, the only time we were still a little rattled was when we lost those three and then that loss to ole miss. I think we might have still had a little doubt in ourselves. Then bouncing back against Auburn and beating two arguably top 25 teams back-to-back, I think that gives us a little bit of confidence.”
Two major contributors for the Razorbacks during their run have been senior Ashley Daniels and junior Sarah Watkins.
In the three wins, Daniels has scored in double figures in each, averaging 13.3 points during those games.
Watkins came just two points shy at LSU with eight points, but was in double figures for the other two wins.
Watkins also received SEC Player of the Week and Primetime Player Weekly Honor Roll by CollegeSports360.com.
Senior Lyndsay Harris has also been a factor.
Harris had 17 points Sunday at LSU to lead all scorers, going 4-of-7 from the 3-point line. She also leads the team in made 3-point shots made with 38.
“They remember how well we played early in the year,” Collen said. “They left the losing streak behind them. They’re just trying to find a way to prove they’re worthy of being in postseason play.”