Jan. 18, 2009
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Arkansas (11-7, 0-3 SEC) kept Auburn's lead in single digits through most of the second half, even tying the game once, but the No. 6 Tigers (18-0, 3-0 SEC) were able to hold on for the 70-61 win Sunday afternoon at the Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark.
The win keeps Auburn on track for its best start in 20 years and the third-best all-time for the Tigers. The 3-0 conference mark also puts the 2008-09 squad in elite company as only four other Auburn teams have ever gone undefeated through the first three games of the SEC schedule.
Four Tigers scored in double figures in the game, led by DeWanna Bonner's 19 points. She also tallied the 37th double-double of her career as she pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds. Senior point guard Whitney Boddie also had a double-double, posting 12 points along with 10 assists.
Also scoring in double figures for Auburn were junior KeKe Carrier and senior Sherell Hobbs with 10 points each.
Auburn head coach Nell Fortner was relieved after the game to get out of Fayetteville with the team's second SEC win of the season.
"We are pleased with the win and I thought we did some really nice things in the second half to pull away from Arkansas," said Fortner "At times, they can be a very tough team to guard with all the 3-point shooters on the floor and obviously Ceira Ricketts is a pretty special player, we had a pretty tough time guarding her today."
Ricketts, a freshman from Louisville, Ky., put her name in the Auburn record book as she became the first opponent to ever tally a triple-double on the Tigers. She finished the game with 14 points, on 7-of-14 shooting, while tallying 12 assists and a team-high 13 rebounds.
"She is a phenomenal athlete, she is fast off the dribble, it is very hard to contain her and then she can get up and shoot over whoever is guarding her," said Fortner.
The Tigers never trailed in the game, but had to overcome several Razorback runs before earning the win. Auburn pounced early, building a double-digit lead in the first 10 minutes of the game, extending it to 15 (25-10) at the 9:22 mark.
Arkansas then went on a run of its own, out-scoring Auburn 16-4 to cut the lead to four at the 3:43 mark. The teams then traded baskets as Auburn went into halftime with a 34-30 lead.
Carrier led Auburn in the first half with six points while Bonner, Sherell Hobbs, Smalley and Jackson followed with five each. Bonner and Jackson led the Tigers in rebounding with seven apiece. Arkansas was led by Ricketts with her eight points and seven rebounds.
The Razorbacks scored the first two buckets of the second half, tying the game for just the second time, but the Tigers were able to pull away on the back of 14 second-half points from Bonner to get its lead back to double digits at the 8:49 mark.
Bonner and Boddie combined for 22 of Auburn's 36 points in the final period, leading the Tigers to their 18th win of the season.
"DeWanna is such a versatile player, she is tough to guard and she can play anywhere on the floor, which is what makes her so dangerous," said Fortner "She always steps up and makes big plays when we need big plays and I thought she hit some big free throws for us today, also."
Bonner tallied only four field goals in the game, but made Arkansas pay at the line was she made good on 11-of-12 free-throw attempts.
AU struggled from the field against Arkansas, hitting 26-of-66 field goal attempts for 39.4 percent. The Tigers shot 35.1 percent in the first half and recovered some in the second half at 44.8 percent. Auburn also managed to win the battle of the boards, out-rebounding Arkansas 43-36.
Bonner's 14 rebounds was a game-high, but fellow senior Trevesha Jackson was right behind her with 13 boards along with her seven points.
Arkansas shot 43.3 percent in the game (26-of-60), but it was a 53.8 percent (14-of-26) second half that threatened Auburn's lead.
Ayana Brereton co-led the team in scoring with Ricketts, tallying 14 points. Lyndsay Harris finished right behind them with 13 to give Arkansas a balanced scoring attack.
The No. 6 Tigers return to action at 8 p.m., Thursday as Auburn hosts in-state rival Alabama (12-6, 0-4 SEC) at the Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum. Alabama lost to Mississippi State, 73-43, on Sunday.