WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Arkansas women's basketball team (10-3) won a thriller in their first of two games at the West Palm Beach Classic, defeating Illinois, 60-59, at the buzzer. Down by one with nine seconds left, Samara Spencer found an open Maryam Dauda under the basket who made the layup with less than a second left on the clock. The Floridians in Taliah Scott and Spencer led the way with 17 points, a piece.

Dauda helped the Hogs get started with a layup and Spencer followed with a 3-pointer and a layup to go up 7-0. Illinois responded with a 6-0 run, while the Hogs were in a scoring drought for nearly three minutes. Makayla Daniels broke the drought with a layup off a quick steal and Scott followed with a jumper. The Fighting Illini took the lead for the first time of the game off two free throws, and the lead changed twice until Carly Keats had a layup and Scott made a jumper to help the Hogs go up 17-14 with 31 seconds left in the quarter. Illinois came up with a layup right before the buzzer sounded, but Arkansas was ahead, 17-16.

Scott came out in the second quarter by nailing down a jumper, while Spencer came up with a layup, as the Hogs went up 21-16. Illinois scored its first basket of the second quarter three minutes into the frame, but Jenna Lawrence was able to answer with a mid-range jumper. The Fighting Illini went on a 6-0 run to steal the lead, 24-23, with 4:03 left in the half, as the media timeout on the floor was called. Scott made two free throws out of the break to elevate the Hogs back ahead and Dauda delivered a jumper. Illinois scored off a second-chance opportunity, but Daniels responded with a layup and knocking down one of two free throws. Arkansas took a 31-28 lead going into the locker room.

Illinois opened the second half on a 5-0 run, as the lead changed once again. Scott then tied the game at 33 with a second-chance jumper. The Fighting Illini retook the lead with a jumper and Dauda came up with a layup. The Fighting Illini went up by five, 40-35, but Saylor Poffenbarger nailed her first field goal of the game off a 3-pointer to cut the lead by two. Spencer then drained a 3-pointer set up by an offensive rebound by Poffenbarger to help Arkansas retake the lead once again. Poffenbarger then came up with an and-1, as Arkansas led 43-40 at the media timeout taken at the 4:40 mark. Illinois answered with a quick 7-0 run and Scott broke the Hogs drought with a tough layup. The Fighting Illini knocked down a jumper, but Scott had another answer with a 3-pointer. Illinois made a layup off a third-chance opportunity, as the Hogs trailed 51-48 going into the fourth quarter. The Fighting Illini outscored Arkansas, 23-17 in the quarter.

Scott knocked down a jumper to begin the fourth quarter, but Illinois responded with a jumper off a second-chance opportunity to keep it a three-point deficit. A Spencer jumper cut the Illinois lead down to one and then Dauda made one of two free throws to tie the game at 53 with a little over five minutes left in the game. Scott then made her way to the basket for a layup to pull the Hogs ahead until Illinois tied the game back up with a jumper. At the media timeout taken at the 4:12 mark, the score was tied, 55-55. Illinois made two free throws and Spencer made one of her two shots from the line, but after an Illinois jumper, the Hogs trailed, 59-56, with three minutes left in the game. Out of the timeout, Poffenbarger made two free throws to put it back to a one-point game. Illinois had a chance to put cushion into their lead but missed on two chances, including on one shot that was blocked by Dauda. Poffenbarger got the defensive rebound with nine seconds left and found Spencer, who made her way right to the basket to find Dauda who made the layup at the buzzer. With the buzzer beater, Arkansas won, 60-59.

HOG HIGHLIGHTS

• Scott logged 17 points off 7-of-15 shooting from the field for her 12th double-digit scoring game this year
• Spencer put it on in her hometown of South Florida, registering 17 points with two triples along with four rebounds and the assist on the game-winning basket
• Poffenbarger recorded eight points, pulled down 19 rebounds and added two assists and two blocks. Her 19 boards is her third most this season
• Dauda logged nine points, four boards and two blocks, while leading the way in +/- with +15
• Daniels had five points, three boards and four assists
• The Hogs held Illinois to no 3-pointers, as the Fighting Illini went 0-for-8 from beyond the arc

UP NEXT

The Hogs will play UIC tomorrow, Dec. 21 at 10 a.m. CT to wrap up the West Palm Beach Classic. Thursday's game will also be streamed on FloHoops.