No. 24 DeWanna Bonner: battles under the boards with No. 15 freshman center Cassie Moore. Pete Riley / PHOTO EDITOR
Auburn’s women’s basketball team reigned victorious over Arkansas with a score of 74-57 Sunday, boasting a 19-10, 7-7 SEC record.
The game marks the second time Auburn has played the Razorbacks this season. As this was their last regular game of the season, they move on to play in the SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament in Nashville, Tenn., seeded sixth.
Four women scored in double digits in the game, including Auburn’s forwards Sherell Hobbs, a junior, and freshman Alli Smalley. Together, with their 31 combined points after the half, led the team to victory.
“I think the team really responded during the second half on defense,” said head coach Nell Fortner. “It was good seeing players like Jordan Greenleaf step up.”
Sherell Hobbs, junior guard, was proud of the day’s efforts.
“Today we made a statement,” Hobbs said. “Our main goal was to come out and play all 40 minutes. Against Vanderbilt, I felt we only played 36 minutes, and it lost the game for us. So if we want to keep winning, we need to play hard the whole game.”
DeWanna Bonner, junior guard/forward and a major asset to the strong second half, was also pleased with the performance.
“I knew if we stayed strong and kept the game close, they would wear out,” Bonner said. “My teammates made a lot of big shots. We just came out and kept playing hard.”
Because the season is winding down, the girls are trying their best to give their seniors for a memorable farewell.
“We just went out and played hard for the seniors because they’ve played so hard for us,” Bonner said.
Hobbs also had her heart in the game for the seniors. She said she felt it since Senior Day.
“There wasn’t a lot of pressure on us because we were playing for them.”
Greenleaf, a sophomore, used the game to silence a few critics.
Head coach Neil Fortner: cheers on the Tigers from the sideline Sunday. Fortner is in her third year on the Plains coaching the women’s basketball team. Pete Riley / PHOTO EDITOR
“My mom called me and told me she’d heard a commentator saying I couldn’t capitalize during the game,” Greenleaf said. “I used today to prove that I could and think I did a good job.”
Smalley concluded the game with the only shot scored in the last minute of the game: a three-point shot, which may help set the tone for the women’s performance for the rest of the season.
The Tigers’ 20-3 run late in the second half also helped finish off Arkansas.
When Auburn moves on to play in the tournament, they will go head-to-head with Arkansas for the third time this season.
The Tigers play the Razorbacks tonight at 9 p.m. in Nashville, Tenn.
