Extending two streaks important to Arkansas

ROB KEYS
ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

FAYETTEVILLE -- A pair of streakers will be the main attraction at Walton Arena this afternoon.
Arkansas has won four games in a row to close within one game of .500 in the SEC, while Kentucky has lost four consecutive since beating the Lady Razorbacks 68-60 in Lexington on Jan. 16.
The result is just another do-or-die SEC game for both teams.
"We want to keep that losing streak going on their end and continue our streak," Arkansas Coach Gary Blair said.
To do so, the Lady Razorbacks (13-7, 3-4) will need a dramatically improved effort from the one they gave in the earlier loss to the Wildcats (11-9, 3-5).
In that game, Arkansas shot a meager 31 percent from the field in the first half, made only one three-pointer and had more than four times as many turnovers (26) as assists (6).
"We played our worst conference game of the year against Kentucky ... and we were disgusted with our performance," Blair said.
Since then, though, Arkansas has gone 4-1 and moved from the SEC basement into a tie for sixth place.
"It's been like pulling teeth, but we've gotten better because of it," Blair said.
Kentucky, meanwhile, has taken its lumps from two of the SEC's elite during its four-game skid. In addition to losing a 68-67 heartbreaker at Alabama, Kentucky has lost to No. 14 LSU once and No. 2 Tennessee twice.
"They're not strangers to the SEC," Kentucky Coach Bernadette Mattox said of the Wildcats. "They know what's going on."
Mattox also said a big part of what hasn't been going on for Kentucky is simply putting the ball through the net.
"We haven't been making shots," Mattox said when asked the biggest difference in Kentucky's play since its first meeting with Arkansas.
One thing Kentucky has in its favor is a seven-day break since its last game.
"Any time you can have extra time to work on things in practice, it's good for your team," Mattox said.
The Lady Razorbacks, conversely, will be playing their third game in eight days. Blair even cut practice short by 30 minutes Friday, a rarity for Arkansas.
Blair's hope, he said, is that Arkansas' energy boost from the four-game winning streak will be matched by a desire to prove the 0-4 start in the SEC was an aberration.
"I think they owe each other something after starting 0-4," Blair said.
The Lady Razorbacks also think they owe it to themselves to keep the streaks going.

ARKANSAS WOMEN VS. KENTUCKY
WHEN 2 p.m. Central today
WHERE Walton Arena; Fayetteville
RECORDS Arkansas 13-7, 3-4 SEC; Kentucky 11-9, 3-5
SERIES 6-6
TV None
RADIO Lady Razorback Radio Network

GAME INFORMATION
COACHES Gary Blair (132-76 in seventh season at Arkansas, 342-119 in 15th season overall); Bernadette Mattox (61-73 in fifth season at Kentucky and overall)
KEYS TO VICTORY Arkansas must get more consistency from its offense and limit Kentucky's offensive rebounding. Kentucky, meanwhile, would welcome fewer offensive rebounds in exchange for more accurate shooting. The Wildcats also hope their physical play defensively disrupts the Lady Razorbacks' offense as much as it did in the teams' first meeting.
QUOTING ARKANSAS COACH GARY BLAIR "They've had a week to prepare coming off four straight losses, and I'm sure they've probably had some intense workouts during that time."
QUOTING ALABAMA COACH BERNADETTE MATTOX "We've got a lot of veterans -- players that have been through the wars -- so I'm confident that we're going to snap out of it [losing streak]. It's just a matter of them going out there and performing like they know they're capable of."
NOTEWORTHY Junior forward Lonniya Bragg missed the second half of Arkansas' victory over Alabama on Thursday with a sprained ankle but is expected to start today. ... Kentucky is 0-4 in games played at Fayetteville. ... Kentucky senior guard and Hot Springs native Tiffany Wait scored a season-high 24 points in the Wildcats' 68-60 victory over Arkansas on Jan. 16. Wait averages 16.2 points a game against Arkansas, 3.7 points higher than her career scoring average. ... Junior guard Wendi Willits is shooting 53.1 percent from three-point range and 88.9 percent from the free-throw line in the past five games. ... Arkansas is 28-29 all-time in games played Sunday.
-- Rob Keys

This article was published on Sunday, February 6, 2000

RETURN to main page