NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Amber Ramirez scored all 17 of her points after halftime, Makayla Daniels had 13 points and 14 rebounds for her first career double-double and No. 8 seed Arkansas used an 9-0 run in overtime to beat ninth-seeded Missouri 61-52 on Thursday in the second round of the SEC tournament.
Arkansas (18-12) advances to face top-ranked South Carolina in the quarterfinals on Friday. The Razorbacks dropped the only regular-season meeting with the Gamecocks, 61-52 on Jan. 16.
Ramirez made a go-ahead jumper along the baseline to give Arkansas a 48-46 lead with 25.5 seconds left in regulation. After a timeout, Haley Troup got into the lane and after her defender fell down, Troup scored to tie it. Ramirez dribbled down the clock and got into the lane but her layup rolled off at the buzzer.
Sasha Goforth gave Arkansas the lead in overtime with a 3-pointer, and Daniels and Ramirez combined to make eight free throws the rest of the way to seal it.
Ramirez, who scored 21 and 25 points in the two regular-season matchups with Missouri, was 6 of 15 from the floor and Daniels 3 for 17 as Arkansas shot just 27.3% from the field. Goforth and Samara Spencer each scored 11 points for the Razorbacks.
Arkansas was held to 19.4% shooting in the first half, making just 6 of 32 shots. Goforth had seven of Arkansas’ 17 first-half points. Spencer gave Arkansas its first lead, 38-37, since it was 8-7 with a pair of free throws with 5:03 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Troup scored a career-high 21 points for Missouri (18-12). LaDazhia Williams had 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Hayley Frank added 13 boards.
