Arkansas women’s basketball will conclude its two-game homestand with a matchup against Missouri on Thursday, February 5. The game is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. and will be broadcast live on SECN+ with Brett Dolan and Matt Zimmerman providing commentary.
The Razorbacks, currently holding an 11-12 overall record and winless in Southeastern Conference play at 0-8, last faced the Tigers on January 15 in Columbia, where Missouri secured a 94-69 victory. This upcoming contest marks the 38th meeting between the two programs. Arkansas has historically performed well at home against Missouri, winning five of the last six games in Fayetteville since 2020.
Thursday’s game also serves as Arkansas’ annual Play4Kay event, supporting breast cancer awareness through the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.
Head coach Kelsi Musick is in her first season leading Arkansas and holds a 1-1 career record against Missouri. The Razorbacks have had a challenging start to SEC play, facing four consecutive ranked opponents and playing seven of their first ten conference games against teams currently ranked in the AP Top 25.
Junior forward Bonnie Deas has collected 202 rebounds this season, ranking fifth in the SEC and among the top 40 nationally. As a team, Arkansas averages nearly 43 rebounds per game, placing them fifth in the conference and inside the top 20 nationally. Guard Taleyah Jones leads Arkansas in scoring with an average of 16.9 points per game, which is ninth-best in the SEC.
In their most recent outing on February 1, Arkansas fell to No.18 Kentucky by a score of 93-73. Despite leading late in the third quarter, Arkansas was outscored by Kentucky over the final stretch of play. Emily Robinson led all Razorback scorers with a season-high 20 points while Taleyah Jones matched her career high at the free throw line.
Missouri enters Thursday’s contest following an 88-80 road win over Mississippi State that featured numerous lead changes before a decisive run sealed their victory. Grace Slaughter leads Missouri with an average of over 19 points per game this season as head coach Kellie Harper guides her team through her inaugural year at Missouri.
Earlier this season at the Music City Classic tournament in Nashville, Tennessee, Arkansas earned wins over Drake and Southern Illinois. Taleyah Jones was named MVP after scoring a combined total of 38 points across both games.
Jones transferred to Arkansas after playing for Musick at Oral Roberts University (ORU), where she earned First Team All-Summit League honors and was named league newcomer of the year for her performance during the previous seasons.
Kelsi Musick is notable as Arkansas women’s basketball’s first female head coach since Susie Gardner held that role from 2003 to 2007. This year’s roster includes several program firsts: Danika Galea is Arkansas’ first player from Malta; Aisha Hassan is its first from Egypt; Ashlynn Chlarson is its first from Arizona.
Freshman guard Bonnie Deas made an early impact this season by averaging more than eighteen points and nine rebounds through her initial three collegiate games—leading all freshmen nationwide during that span—and earning SEC Freshman of the Week honors. She later represented Australia at this summer’s FIBA U-19 Women’s World Cup, helping secure a silver medal while being named to the tournament’s All-Star Five team.
Arkansas added eight newcomers for this season—five transfers and three freshmen—including Maria Anais Rodriguez from Oklahoma State who also helped Spain earn silver at last summer’s FIBA U18 Women’s Eurobasket competition; Wyvette Mayberry who joined after stints at Tulsa and Kansas; Ashlynn Chlarson from Eastern Arizona CC; Emily Robinson who followed Coach Musick from ORU; Harmonie Ware; Aisha Hassan; and Bonnie Deas.
Four Razorbacks participated internationally during FIBA events: Deas (Australia), Cristina Sanchez Cerqueira (Spain), Maria Anais Rodriguez (Spain), and Danika Galea (Malta).
Coach Musick’s staff features new assistant coaches Brad Johnson—who previously coached Farmington High School—and Alex Furr—formerly part of SMU’s coaching staff—as well as returning assistants Lacey Goldwire and Nick Bradford.
Following Thursday’s matchup with Missouri, Arkansas will travel to Florida for its next game on Sunday, February 8.
