Freshman Taliah Scott shines through two tight wins to start the Arkansas women's basketball season
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Arkansas women's basketball program welcomed more than 7,000 children to Bud Walton Arena Friday morning for its annual Elementary School Day.
Those kids might have been whisked away from the classroom to watch the Razorbacks beat Murray State 82-79, but the Hogs are still in hit-the-books mode on this young season, learning lessons about an inexperienced squad that looks to peak when SEC play arrives.
Arkansas (2-0) must find a way to cut down its turnovers and produce more quality shots. The Razorbacks also have to learn how to finish off a sizable lead. In both of their victories this season, the Hogs have let teams roar back and make things interesting in the fourth quarter.
But there is one positive, overwhelmingly obvious lesson through the first week of the season: freshman Taliah Scott is a star in the making.
"(Scott) does it in every day in practice. She shows the various ways she can score," Arkansas redshirt sophomore Saylor Poffenbarger said. "It doesn't really feel like she's a freshman."
Scott, a 5-foot-9 guard out of Orange Park, Fla., scored a game-high 25 points Friday against the Racers. Three days earlier, Scott made her debut with 29 points and six rebounds in an 81-76 victory over Louisiana Monroe. The 29 points were the most ever scored by a Razorback on their debut.
The McDonald's All-American has displayed her versatile attack without hitting top gear. Known as a prolific shooter, she's just 2-for-12 from three-point range to start the year.
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Instead, Scott has shown an innate ability to score while driving to the basket and reach the free-throw line. She's a skilled dribbler who blends craft with athleticism to get by defenders, and despite the slow start from deep, Scott is shooting 45 percent from the field and is 16-of-20 from the free-throw line.
The minutes — and the role as primary ball-handler — were not simply handed over to Scott.
She came to Fayetteville knowing the Razorbacks already had two talented and experienced guards in Samara Spencer and Makayla Daniels. Scott won her coaches and teammates over with defensive intensity.
"I just never realized how good of a defensive player she was," Arkansas head coach Mike Neighbors said. "I've been impressed with how she's transitioned into being a freshman."
"Getting the buckets is the least of the things we've impressed with."
Defense might have earned Scott Neighbors' trust and a spot in the starting lineup alongside Daniels and Spencer, but those buckets look likely to be her biggest impact this season.
Neighbors still wants Scott to become more of an impact off the ball and to be more sure-handed in possession. Scott committed five turnovers Friday against Murray State.
But Scott's offense will be a calling card of Arkansas' success all season. With the game slipping away, Scott was the only Razorback to score more than two points in Friday's fourth quarter, finishing the period with eight points and just one turnover.
Scott has only played two college games, and she is already the hub of the Arkansas offense. That's a significant win for Neighbors recruitment, which could lead to the Razorbacks brushing aside last year's slip and returning to the NCAA Tournament.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Taliah Scott begins college career carrying Arkansas women's basketball's offense
