FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Unique Thompson finished with 18 points and 19 rebounds, but a great start for Auburn gave way to a hot-shooting Arkansas team as the Tigers fell to the 19th-ranked Razorbacks 77-67 Sunday afternoon.
The Tigers led by as many as 13 points midway through the first half, but a big run by the Razorbacks in the second quarter gave Arkansas a lead it would not relinquish.
"The energy was there," Auburn head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said. "It was there yesterday in practice, it was there this morning in shootaround. They're right there. They're really working hard to get a win. It's hard to guard Arkansas because they spread you out so far. But we can't let our offense dictate how we play at the other end, we can't have letdowns on the defensive end because we miss a shot."
Thompson's 18-point, 19-rebound effort was her 11th double-double of the season and 53rd of her career. Honesty Scott-Grayson added 17 points and led Auburn with three assists, and Keya Patton scored 10. Romi Levy had a career-high 12 rebounds along with eight points.
The Tigers pulled down a season-high 50 rebounds to Arkansas' 30 and turned 20 offensive boards into 20 second-chance points, both season-highs. But the Tigers shot 34 percent from the floor (23-67) while Arkansas was at 44 percent (26-59), and the Razorbacks hit 11 3-pointers to Auburn's two. Auburn had a great night at the free-throw line, hitting 19-of-21.
Auburn held the Hogs to their lowest-scoring quarter of the season to open the game with an 18-9 lead, and led 24-11 with 7:44 to play in the second quarter. But the Razorbacks went on a 17-2 run over the next five minutes to take a 28-26 lead, and after a Kira Lowery jumper tied it at 28-28, the Hogs scored the final five points of the period to take a 33-28 halftime lead. The Tigers would keep the margin in single digits through the third quarter, trailing 52-46 after three, but Arkansas kept up their hot shooting and pulled away in the fourth.
Amber Ramirez led Arkansas with 19 points and hit five 3-pointers. Chelsea Dungee added 16 and Destiny Slocum had 14.
The Tigers face their third straight top-25 team when No. 4 South Carolina visits Auburn Arena Thursday night for a 6 p.m. tip.
