CHEROKEE, N.C. – Arkansas women’s basketball (6-8) closed out the Cherokee Invitational with a 77-69 loss to Troy on Thursday night at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort.
The Hogs continued their trend of starting slow, allowing Troy to grab the lead it kept until the teams traded leads in the third quarter. Arkansas was struggling to score from distance and started out 0-8 from three point land until Kiki Smith drilled her first of four threes in the game, with under 4 minutes to play in the first quarter.
Freshman Phoenix Stotijn checked back into the game with less than a minute to play in the first and knocked down another three to give the Razorbacks a much-needed spark and cut the Trojans’ lead to four.
Both teams scored 17 points in the second quarter, highlighted by another three pointer via Jenna Lawrence’s catch-and-shoot from Stotijn. The Hogs went into the half behind Troy, 35-31.
Smith and guard Izzy Higginbottom combined for 15 of Arkansas’ 23 points in the third quarter. Higginbottom provided the Razorbacks their first and only lead with a three pointer at the 8:25 mark in the third. The Hogs won the quarter, 23-22, and went into the fourth down three points, 67-64.
Troy opened the final quarter with a 7-0 run just two and a half minutes in to collect a 10-point lead, its largest of the game. Arkansas threatened with a couple of late threes from Smith and Carly Keats, but could not get over the 5-point hump.
Higginbottom paced the Hogs with 19 points and went a perfect 3-3 from the free throw line. Sophomore forward Cristina Sánchez Cerqueira grabbed a career high nine rebounds.
Up Next
The Hogs will take a six-day break over the holidays and return to prepare and face Central Arkansas on Sunday, Dec. 29 at Bud Walton Arena.
For more information on Arkansas women’s basketball, follow @RazorbackWBB on social media.
