Early season success a trend
Women's Basketball
Derek Oxford
Issue date: 12/3/08 Section: Sports
Tom Collen's team is following a familiar pattern.
Last year's team, then still known as the Lady'Backs, started out with a stellar 15-0 mark before opening conference play with a loss.
Now fast-forward to the present, and the Razorbacks, as they are now called, are off to another fast start, compiling a 5-1 record through the first six games.
The Razorbacks are fresh off a consolation title in the Junkanoo Jam in the Bahamas, after defeating Pacific 78-61.
Whitney Jones, Ayana Brereton and Ceira Ricketts all came up big for the Razorbacks in the tournament, playing with the confidence that Collen wants to see.
Collen said he has been impressed most by the defensive pressure Arkansas placed on opponents, not only in the tournament but also through the early part of the season.
Against Pacific, Arkansas forced 26 turnovers - a season-high - and did it by recording 18 steals.
"Our defense was good early and we got a lot of momentum from our press," Collen said. "We shot the ball better tonight and it's good to see us battle back after the way we played the first night."
Arkansas hit 10-of-23 of its 3-point attempts against Pacific, also another season-high.
"We're a good three-point shooting team, but we've been sporadic," Collen said. "We just need to slow down like we did tonight. We relaxed tonight, and hit 10 with a good percentage."
Jones, Brereton and Ricketts each tallied 12 points. Lyndsay Harris also got into double figures with 10.
Ricketts honored
Freshman guard Ceira Ricketts was honored as the Southeastern Conference's Freshman of the Week by the SEC office in Birmingham, Ala., over the Thanksgiving break.
She was rewarded for her 12.3 points per game and 6.7 rebounds per game as she has gone from being a bench player, to a starter, to one of the team's leading scorers.
"We knew when we signed Ceira we had a special player that had a chance to impact us immediately," Collen said. "We just didn't know it would happen this fast. We are very proud of her."
Last year's team, then still known as the Lady'Backs, started out with a stellar 15-0 mark before opening conference play with a loss.
Now fast-forward to the present, and the Razorbacks, as they are now called, are off to another fast start, compiling a 5-1 record through the first six games.
The Razorbacks are fresh off a consolation title in the Junkanoo Jam in the Bahamas, after defeating Pacific 78-61.
Whitney Jones, Ayana Brereton and Ceira Ricketts all came up big for the Razorbacks in the tournament, playing with the confidence that Collen wants to see.
Collen said he has been impressed most by the defensive pressure Arkansas placed on opponents, not only in the tournament but also through the early part of the season.
Against Pacific, Arkansas forced 26 turnovers - a season-high - and did it by recording 18 steals.
"Our defense was good early and we got a lot of momentum from our press," Collen said. "We shot the ball better tonight and it's good to see us battle back after the way we played the first night."
Arkansas hit 10-of-23 of its 3-point attempts against Pacific, also another season-high.
"We're a good three-point shooting team, but we've been sporadic," Collen said. "We just need to slow down like we did tonight. We relaxed tonight, and hit 10 with a good percentage."
Jones, Brereton and Ricketts each tallied 12 points. Lyndsay Harris also got into double figures with 10.
Ricketts honored
Freshman guard Ceira Ricketts was honored as the Southeastern Conference's Freshman of the Week by the SEC office in Birmingham, Ala., over the Thanksgiving break.
She was rewarded for her 12.3 points per game and 6.7 rebounds per game as she has gone from being a bench player, to a starter, to one of the team's leading scorers.
"We knew when we signed Ceira we had a special player that had a chance to impact us immediately," Collen said. "We just didn't know it would happen this fast. We are very proud of her."
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