FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.—South Dakota's 7-3 run in the final 34 seconds fell short as Arkansas defeated the Coyotes 70-67 on Thursday night at Bud Walton Arena.
 
"We played with such toughness and tried to play as composed as possible," said USD head coach Dawn Plitzuweit. "Arkansas is one of the best defensive teams that I have seen in a really long time. I'm proud of our team for going on the road and competing in a tough environment.
 
"Sure, I wish that we could go back and do a few things differently, but I thought we battled back and competed well late in the game. We will learn from this. I told our team in the locker room tonight that I am really proud of them. Arkansas put on us defensive pressure that's tough to replicate in practice, to replicate anywhere else in the country. It was intense. It will be a great opportunity for us to watch this game film and learn from it. Our team is going to get better because of it."
 
Tonight was not only South Dakota's (2-1) first meeting with Arkansas (3-0), but also the program's first match up against a team from the Southeastern Conference.
 
South Dakota shot 56.8 percent (25-of-44) from the field to Arkansas' 44.6 percent (25-of-56), but the Razorbacks won the battle of the boards 33-21. Arkansas grabbed 17 offensive boards and tallied 18 second chance points.
 
The Razorbacks also picked off 12 steals and capitalized on 21 Coyote turnovers.
 
Coyote sophomore guard Allison Arens tallied her third consecutive 20-point game. Arens scored 13 of her 20 points in the fourth quarter, including 10 on five straight USD possessions that brought Arkansas' lead down to six with 5:42 to play. The sophomore shot 63.6 percent (7-of-11) from the field and handed out four assists.
 
Arkansas senior forward Jessica Jackson, the lone Razorback representative on the SEC Preseason Team, was held to one point in the first half by the Coyote defense. Jackson rattled off 13 in the second half to become the Razorback's leading scorer on the night with 14 points. She grabbed seven off the glass, including a pair of offensive boards that she put back in during the third quarter.
 
The Razorbacks put five players in double figures. Joining Jackson were starting center Alecia Cooley and starting guard Malica Monk with 12 points. Guards Jailyn Mason and Briunna Freeman each scored 10 points. Monk passed out four assists and swiped four steals. Freeman had five steals as well.
 
South Dakota freshman guard Ciara Duffy tallied 17 points, four assists and three rebounds while shooting 50 percent (6-of-12). Senior center Abigail Fogg also reached double figures with 14 points and swatted down a pair of points. Fogg finished with an impressive 75 percent (6-of-8) shooting from the field.
 
Sophomore guard Jaycee Bradley hit a 3-pointer with 2.6 seconds remaining in the first half to give the Coyotes a 28-27 lead at the break. Bradley would finish with nine and the final lead change of the game would come off a Jackson bucket with 5:44 to play in the third quarter.
 
South Dakota's largest lead of the game of four points came off Duffy's 3-pointer at the start of the third quarter while Arkansas would lead by as many as 12 with 8:06 remaining.
 
Freshman guard Madison McKeever added five points, three assists and two steals. On the defensive end of the court, junior forward Bridget Arens and sophomore guard Kaitlyn Severyn each took a charge in the game.
 
The Coyotes continue a four-game road swing against Tulsa at 1 p.m. Sunday in Tulsa, Okla.