Scott's Second-Half Explosion Bails Out Razorbacks Against Auburn

Return of Taliah Scott to starting lineup helps Mike Neighbors, Hogs pick up key SEC win

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — After shooting 1-for-12 from behind the arc in the first half, Arkansas caught fire in the third quarter making four of its first six triples including three from Taliah Scott to key the Razorbacks to a 74-72 come-from-behind win over the Auburn Tigers. Scott, making her first start since Jan. 4 scored 26 of her 33 points in the second half to ignite an offense that had been dormant.  

"We've got a veteran team that can recognize when someone is in the zone or heating up," coach Mike Neighbors said. "What was that old video game called? Nba Jam. I kept hearing 'she's heating up' in the back of my head every time she made one." 

With the game tied at 69 with under a minute left in the game thanks to a furious comeback effort from Auburn, Samara Spencer drove to the cup and absorbed contact for the game-clinching three-point play. Spencer had been quiet with just seven points on the night prior to the critical basket that set the Hogs up to win.

Unfortunately for the 4,450 in attendance, the drama was not over. Makayla Daniels missed both free throws with 16 seconds left to keep the deficit at just two, 74-72. Fortunately, Neighbors and the Hogs did not come to grips with giving the Tigers one last chance as Auburn's buzzer-beater hook shot mercilessly caromed off the rim and to the ground. 

The Hogs erased a nine-point halftime Auburn lead in just over five minutes after the break, as the Bud Walton Arena crowd sparked to life. With the game tied at 41, Scott showed off her handles and completed an old-fashioned three-point play before canning her fourth triple of the quarter to give the Razorbacks its first lead of the day, 47-41. Arkansas exploded for a 23-7 run to end the third and turn a nine-point deficit into an 11-point lead, 56-45. 

"It's no limit," Scott said on her confidence. "It's just how high my confidence is. It's just gonna keep flying. I feel like I caught my rhythm in the third quarter."

Another deep three from the top of the key from Scott to start the fourth quarter gave the Hogs its largest lead of the day. Auburn refused to go down without a fight, responding with a 19-6 run with two threes from Honesty Scott-Grayson to trim the lead to 65-64 with just under 4 minutes left in a topsy-turvy affair.  

With both teams hovering around the bubble Charlie Creme's latest ESPN Bracketology, what could go wrong for Arkansas went wrong. The Razorbacks committed six turnovers which led to six Auburn points in the first quarter alone. The Hogs shot 3-for-18 from the floor, including 0-for-8 from deep, all equating to a 17-6 hole after 10 minutes. 

The second quarter didn't get much better for the Hogs, despite Auburn having eight turnovers in the first half, the Razorbacks only managed to turn it into four points of offense. The Razorbacks did manage to shoot a little better in the second quarter with Maryam Dauda using layups and free throws to lead the Hogs with 11 of her 12 points coming in the first half. After missing its first 10 three-pointers, Taliah Scott canned one from the right wing to give Arkansas some life. The Hogs were able to end the half on a 10-4 run and trim the deficit to 34-25 at intermission, cutting a once 15-point Tiger lead to just single digits. 

Cutting into the lead gave the Razorbacks momentum and confidence to complete the comeback and keep its bid for their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2022 on track. 

The Razorbacks will face another team hovering around the bubble nest. Neighbors and the Hogs will take on Florida on the road 5 p.m. Feb. 8. The game will be streamed on SEC Network+. 

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