Category: Arkansas women’s basketball

Arkansas freshman sensation Scott returns after four-game absence

After missing four straight games with a back injury, Arkansas super freshman Taliah Scott returned to practice for the Razorbacks on Tuesday.

After missing the past four games with a back injury, freshman sensation Taliah Scott returned to practice for the Arkansas women’s basketball team on Tuesday.

The 5-foot-9 guard, who leads the SEC in scoring with a 22.3 points-per-game average, took the court for the first time since suffering the injury Jan. 4, during a 73-63 loss in the conference opener at Kentucky.

“She’s eager to get back, she’s excited to get back, but a back injury at that age is something you have got to watch really carefully,” Head Coach Mike Neighbors said.

Arkansas (14-6, 2-3 SEC) went 2-2 with Scott sidelined, including a rough 99-68 loss at LSU on Sunday. Not only have the Lady Razorbacks missed her ability to score, but they have also missed her presence with defensive pressure, as well as the affect it has had on the team’s depth.

“It’s affected practice probably more than games, because we have to be very, very cautious with our energy and our reps, but I think our kids have rallied,” Neighbors said. “It’s changed some things we’ve had to do, offensively and defensively, We’ve had to change a few tactics, but the kids have responded great.

Neighbors received word early Tuesday that Scott was cleared to return. She will likely see the court when Kentucky comes to town Thursday night, but it’s unknown how much she will play

“She will return to activity today,” Neighbors said, prior to practice. “We hope this is that ramp-up period (after) you’re out for a period of time. You don’t ever want to bring anybody, especially a freshman, back too fast. But she will be in activity today.”

The Lady Razorbacks and Lady Wildcats will tip off at 7 p.m. Thursday inside Bud Walton Arena, and will be televised on SEC Network-Plus.

Still without SEC’s top scorer, Arkansas women fall big to LSU

Playing without SEC scoring leader Taliah Scott, the Arkansas women’s basketball team fell behind early and never made a threat in a 99-68 loss at No. 10 LSU.

After falling behind 18-0 in the first six minutes of the game Sunday, the Arkansas women’s basketball team was unable to put up much of a fight against No. 10 LSU in a 99-68 loss in Baton Rouge,

The Lady Razorbacks (14-6, 2-3 SEC) shot 28 percent from the field and made just 12 of 47 attempts from beyond the arc, falling behind by 27 at the half.

Junior Samara Spencer finished with a team-high 20 points, along with seven assists, five rebounds and three steals, but went just 5-of-22 from the field. That was the kind of day it was for a hampered team that had just nine players available to take the court.

LSU standout junior Angel Reese was again dominant in the game, finishing with 16 points and 17 rebounds.

Arkansas was again playing without the SEC’s leading scorer, freshman sensation Taliah Scott, who missed her fourth straight game with a back injury. The Lady Hogs are 2-2 since Scott – averaging 22.3 points per game – got hurt against Kentucky on Jan. 4.

Arkansas has now lost three straight to LUS, since defeating the No. 12 Lady Tigers’ 90-76 at Bud Walton Arena in 2022.

The Lady Razorbacks must now try to heal up and prepare to host Kentucky at home on Thursday night,

Arkansas women noted as “Last Team In” in ESPN’s bracketoloy

The Arkansas women’s basketball team finds itself squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble.

The NCAA Tournament bubble is always large in January and the Arkansas women’s basketball team finds itself squarely in the middle of it.

The Razorbacks were named the “Last Team In” in ESPN’s weekly bracketlogy update posted Friday by Charlie Creme. Arkansas is joined in the projected play-in round by Washington, Arizona and fellow SEC foe Mississippi State.

Coach Mike Neighbors’ team has alternated wins and losses, with a record of 2-2, since SEC play. Arkansas owns wins over Georgia and Alabama with losses to Kentucky and the aforementioned MSU Bulldogs. Alabama is also projected as in the tournament (right now a No. 9-seed). Georgia and Kentucky are not.

The Hogs will get another shot at Kentucky next week when the Wildcats visit Bud Walton Arena on Thursday. Before that, Arkansas travels to play projected No. 3-seed LSU at Baton Rouge on Sunday. A win against the Tigers would be a serious feather, while a loss probably isn’t dooming.

Arkansas last made the NCAA Tournament two seasons, losing in the first round to Utah. Last year, the Razorbacks made the final eight of the WNIT.

Dauda sets school record with 10 blocks in win over Alabama

Maryam Dauda had quite the block party on Sunday in Coleman Coliseum in Arkansas’ 77-59 victory.

Maryam Dauda wasn’t in the mood to deal with another SEC defeat on Sunday.

A Coleman Coliseum crowd of 2,477 saw Dauda set an Arkansas record with 10 blocks in a 77-59 victory for the Razorbacks.

Dauda played all 40 minutes and also contributed 8 points, 12 rebounds and five assists to the cause.

Samara Spencer and Makayla Daniels combined for 47 of Arkansas’ 77 points, and actually outscored the entire Crimson Tide roster by themselves in the second half.

Taliah Scott, meanwhile, missed her third consecutive game with her back issues.

Arkansas outrebounded Alabama 52-35 and never trailed after the first quarter ended.

The Razorbacks will have an oddly scheduled week off, not playing again until next Sunday when they travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana to face defending national champion LSU.

Arkansas loses heartbreaker to Mississippi State, 66-63

Mississippi State stole one in Bud Walton Arena on Thursday night, escaping with a three-point victory for its first SEC win.

Arkansas and Mississippi State had identical overall records coming into Thursday night’s contest.

The Bulldogs walked out with their 14th victory and defeated the hosts, 66-63 to secure their first SEC win.

Mike Neighbors’ ladies were left to lick their wounds and wonder what they could’ve done to end up in the win column.

Taliah Scott missed her second consecutive game with back issues, so Samara Spencer and Makayla Daniels had to pick up the slack in the meantime.

Bentonville native Maryam Dauda was teriffic inside, scoring 17 points and pulling down 13 rebounds, while Saylor Poffenbarger had a quiet night by her standards, only scoring 9 points and grabbing only 7 rebounds.

Arkansas will be back in action on Sunday, visiting Alabama. Tipoff will be at 2 p.m. from Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa,

Arkansas unleashes frustration on Georgia on Sunday in Bud Walton

Arkansas wasted no time dispatching Georgia on Sunday afternoon at Bud Walton Arena.

Arkansas women’s basketball got the bad taste of Thursday night’s SEC opening loss to Kentucky out of the way early on Sunday.

The Razorbacks took a 49-18 lead to the locker room and eventually defeated Georgia 83-43 in front of 3,993 in Bud Walton Arena.

Makayla Daniels had 24 points to lead all scorers as Arkansas hit 14 3-pointers and outrebounded the Bulldogs 51-40.

Saylor Poffenbarger added yet another double-double to her chart this season, scoring 15 points and pulling down 17 boards.

Arkansas was without the services of Taliah Scott, who suffered a back injury in the Kentucky game and was held out as a precaution.

The Razorbacks will be back in action on Thursday night, hosting Mississippi State at 8 p.m. It will be televised by the SEC Network.

Twitter reacts: Arkansas fans’ patience running short with Mike Neighbors

Arkansas fans aren’t happy with coach Mike Neighbors right now as the Hogs look to be headed to another NIT.

Arkansas women’s basketball doesn’t have the same expectations as men’s basketball.

Not right now, anyway.

Not with where Arkansas has been over the last year-and-a-half.

The Razorbacks lost their SEC opener to league cellar-dweller Kentucky on Thursday after scoring just 14 points in the first half.

The game and result is hardly a back-breaker, but NCAA Tournament-bound teams beat the teams they’re supposed to beat. Arkansas was supposed to beat Kentucky, road game or not.

Coach Mike Neighbors has taken the Hogs to the postseason each of the last four years that the postseason has been held, starting with an NIT bid 2018-19. In 2019-20, Arkansas was in the midst of its best regular season with Neighbors at the helm, but the NCAA Tournament was canceled. Three years ago, Arkansas made it, but was ousted in the first round as a 4-seed. Two years ago, the Hogs lost in the first round as a 10-seed. And last year, it was back to the NIT.

Right now, through 16 games, Arkansas is looking at another NIT-type of season, leaving Razorbacks fans frustrated at Neighbors and where the program is headed.

Arkansas women’s basketball drops SEC opener at Kentucky

Kentucky got the upper hand of Arkansas on Thursday night in Rupp Arena before a crowd of 2,998 in the SEC opener for both teams.

A poor first half doomed the Arkansas women’s basketball team on Thursday night in Rupp Arena.

The Razorbacks (12-4, 1-0) scored only 14 points combined and trailed Kentucky by 12 and eventually suffered a 73-63 setback.

Samara Spencer had 25 points to lead all scorers, while Saylor Poffenbarger pulled down 15 rebounds.

Taliah Scott had a quiet night, going 5 for 16 from the field and 1 for 8 from behind the 3-point line and only scored 11 points.

Kentucky (8-7) was led by Ajae Petty’s 22 points, and the Wildcats outrebounded Arkansas 45-38.

As a team, the Razorbacks shot 4 for 27 from the perimeter and made only 17 of 26 free throws. UK got 46 of its 73 points in the paint.

Arkansas will look to bounce back on Sunday when Georgia comes to town. Tipoff from Bud Walton Arena will be at 1 p.m. and it will be televised on the SEC Network.

Arkansas women’s basketball closes out 2023 with victory

Arkansas finished off 2023 with a 19-point victory over Incarnate Word. SEC play begins Thursday at Kentucky.

The final day of 2023 saw the Arkansas women get a victory over Incarnate Word at Bud Walton Arena, 67-48.

Taliah Scott continued her torrid scoring stretch, dropping 24 on the visiting Cardinals, while tallying a career high four assists and grabbed three rebounds.

Arkansas outrebounded UIW, 42-35, and logged 16 points off of turnovers compared to UIW’s nine.

“It wasn’t going to be pretty, for lots of reasons,” Arkansas head coach Mike Neighbors said. “We set them up for adversity with a really long break. They (UIW) had played some other teams close and we knew when we scheduled this game, it would be great to challenge our kids and see how they respond.”

Arkansas (12-3) will take a four-game winning streak into Thursday’s SEC opener at Kentucky.

Arkansas’ Taliah Scott officially the most decorated freshman in history

Only two players in Arkansas history have done what Taliah Scott has done. And she has three months, basically, of the season left.

Arkansas has never seen a player like Taliah Scott. Actually, few in the entire Southeastern Conference have ever seen a player like Taliah Scott.

The Razorbacks’ freshman guard was named SEC Freshman of the Week on Tuesday. Impressive in and of itself, but the wildest thing? It’s her fifth time earning the honor this year.

By the way, conference play hasn’t even begun yet.

Scott tied Arkansas’ record for most weekly freshman honors in women’s basketball history. She is coming off a week in which she averaged 21.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists in helping the Razorbacks to a perfect two-game showing in the West Palm Beach tournament.

The five-time record ties her teammate Saylor Poffenbarger and former Arkansas basketballer C’eria Ricketts.

Scott leads the SEC in scoring and is second in the nation in total points, third in free-throw makes and attempts, third in field-goal attempts and 3-point attempts and sixth in points per game.

Arkansas has won three straight games since a shock defeat at the hands of Arkansas-Pine Bluff on December 10. The Razorbacks have a final nonconference game New Year’s Eve at home against Incarnate Word before SEC play begins January 4 at Kentucky.