Jan. 19, 2017
The Vanderbilt women were saddled with another last-minute loss on Thursday night.
Continuing a theme that has followed them since the start of conference play, the Commodores delivered a gritty effort but came up short on the scoreboard, falling to Arkansas, 59-56, at Bud Walton Arena. It was the eight consecutive loss for Vanderbilt (10-9, 0-6).
The Commodores owned a 56-53 lead after a layup by Marqu’es Webb with 2:58 remaining, but Vanderbilt went scoreless the rest of the way, and Arkansas (13-6, 2-4) closed the game on a 6-0 run to steal the win.
Malica Monk made 1-of-2 free throws with 10.2 seconds remaining to give the Razorbacks a 57-56 lead. The Commodores then came up empty on their ensuing possession, and Arkansas’ Devin Cosper hit two more free throws with four seconds to play to extend the Razorbacks’ lead to 59-56.
On Vanderbilt’s final possession, Rachel Bell’s desperation 3-point attempt was off the mark as the buzzer sounded.
The Commodores’ 0-6 mark in the conference has included five games that were decided by a combined 21 points. Each of the five defeats was decided in the game’s final minute.
“We seem to get to a certain part of the ballgame where we just clam up,” said head coach Stephanie White. “And the teams in this league are just waiting to pounce. Tonight, Arkansas made the hustle plays that made the difference in the game.”
Jailyn Mason finished with a game-high 17 points for Arkansas, and Devin Cosper had 11.
Marqu’es Webb had a double-double for Vanderbilt, finishing with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Christa Reed had 12 points, and Bell added 11.
Vanderbilt trailed 34-32 at the half, but outscored Arkansas 16-7 in the third quarter to move in front, 48-41. The Razorbacks opened the fourth quarter with an 11-3 run to grab a 52-51 lead. Vanderbilt moved back in front on two occasions before the Razorbacks finished with their 6-0 run to win it.
Neither team owned more than a five-point lead during the first half, which featured four ties and six lead changes. Arkansas eventually carried a 34-32 lead into the locker room after Jailyn Mason scored a team-high 10 points in the first 20 minutes. Reed had 12 first-half points for the Commodores.
The Commodores closed the first quarter with a 13-4 run, capped by a three-point play by Bell, to build a 20-15 lead. But Arkansas limited Vanderbilt to just 12 points in the second quarter, as the Commodores went 4-of-12 from the floor.
Vanderbilt went 5-of-9 from 3-point range in the opening half, while Arkansas was just 3-of-13.
Kayla Overbeck and Webb both sat out for extended stretches during the opening half after they each picked two early fouls.
