The Arkansas State women’s basketball team got a team-high 27 points from junior guard Izzy Higginbottom, but the Red Wolves couldn’t overcome an Arkansas squad that hit 10 three-pointers and shot 47 percent from the field in an 82-67 setback Friday night at First National Bank Arena.
Higginbottom has now scored at least 20 points in each of A-State’s (1-2) first three contests this year, while also reaching the mark nine time during her career. Junior guard Lauryn Pendleton added 11 points for the Red Wolves, and junior forward Kendra Gillispie narrowly missed a double-double with a season-best 11 rebounds and nine points.
A-State finished with a .361 field goal percentage and made 18-of-20 free throws, but Arkansas (4-0) hit twice as many three-pointers, was a perfect 12-of-12 at the charity stripe and held a 40-32 advantage on the boards.
Behind 11 first-period points from freshman guard Taliah Scott, who went on to score a game-high 34, the Razorbacks ended the opening 10 minutes with a narrow 16-15 lead. Arkansas outscored A-State 26-18 in the second period to take a 42-33 advantage into the break.
The Razorbacks began the second half with a 9-2 run to open up a 16-point lead, which reached 21 by the end of the third period at 67-46. A-State responded with a 13-2 run of its own at that point, pulling back within 10 just four minutes into the fourth period.
The Red Wolves went on to outscore Arkansas 21-15 in the last period, but a 20-point differential in favor of the Razorbacks over the middle two quarters combined propelled the visitors to the win.
Arkansas State continues its three-game home stand with a Nov. 21 outing against Hendrix at 7:00 p.m.
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