Arkansas women’s basketball will conclude its regular season on Sunday, March 1, hosting Auburn at Bud Walton Arena. The Razorbacks enter the game with an 11-19 overall record and are seeking their first Southeastern Conference (SEC) win of the season after going 0-15 in league play. Auburn stands at 15-14 overall and 3-12 in SEC games.
The matchup will be broadcast on SEC Network starting at 1:00 p.m., with Dorian Craft providing play-by-play commentary and Charli Turner Thorne serving as analyst.
Before tip-off, Arkansas will recognize seniors Taleyah Jones and Wyvette Mayberry for senior day. The two have contributed significantly to the program, with Jones leading the team in scoring this season and Mayberry joining Arkansas as the first signee under head coach Kelsi Musick.
This meeting marks the 48th contest between Arkansas and Auburn since their initial game in 1984. Arkansas has won seven consecutive regular-season games against Auburn dating back to 2020. Last year’s matchup ended with a narrow Razorback victory, 59-58, in Auburn. The last time Auburn defeated Arkansas in Fayetteville was February 10, 2019.
Head coach Kelsi Musick is completing her first SEC season at Arkansas. This is her first time facing Auburn as a head coach. Musick is also notable for being the program’s first female head coach since Susie Gardner led the team from 2003 to 2007.
Arkansas started its conference schedule against four ranked opponents: Vanderbilt (#12), Alabama (#24), South Carolina (#3), and Tennessee (#20). Freshman Bonnie Deas has made an impact by ranking fifth in rebounds among SEC players and placing within the top fifty nationally for rebounds per game.
Despite early struggles—including a loss to unranked Missouri where they allowed nearly one hundred points—Arkansas showed improvement midseason by reducing turnovers and increasing offensive output during a five-game stretch that began January 22 against Georgia. In that period, three players averaged double-digit points: Jones (19.8), Emily Robinson (14.4), and Deas (11.0).
The Razorbacks’ most recent outing was an 89-44 defeat at No. 7 Oklahoma, marking their sixteenth straight loss—their longest streak without an SEC road win since the turn of the century.
Taleyah Jones leads Arkansas with an average of 16.9 points per game over thirty contests this year—a figure ranking ninth in the SEC—and has posted ten games of twenty or more points this season after transferring from Oral Roberts University alongside Coach Musick.
Freshman Bonnie Deas began her college career strongly by averaging over eighteen points and nine rebounds through her first three games; she remains among national leaders for freshmen guards in both categories and earned freshman of the week honors from the SEC earlier this year.
Several newcomers joined Arkansas ahead of this season, including transfers Maria Anais Rodriguez from Oklahoma State—who helped Spain secure silver at FIBA U18 Women’s Eurobasket—and Ashlynn Chlarson from Eastern Arizona Community College, who earned all-conference recognition last year.
Four current Razorbacks represented their countries internationally during summer FIBA competitions: Deas for Australia (earning All-Star Five honors at U19 World Cup), Cristina Sanchez Cerqueira for Spain (winning gold at U20 EuroBasket), Rodriguez for Spain (bronze medalist at U19 EuroBasket), and Danika Galea for Malta (silver medalist at FIBA Europe Cup qualifier).
The coaching staff features several new faces alongside returning assistants Lacey Goldwire and Nick Bradford as well as longtime Director of Operations Amber Shirey.
Following Sunday’s finale against Auburn, Arkansas will begin postseason play on Wednesday, March 3, competing in the opening round of the SEC Tournament held in Greenville, South Carolina.
