By Robbie Neiswanger
Arkansas News Bureau • rneiswanger@arkansasnews.com
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas guard Rickey Scott snapped out of his slump after a pep talk with his uncle last week, scoring a career-high 18 points to lead the Razorbacks to a win before Christmas break.
Scott had another conversation with his uncle before Wednesday’s game. The result? Another impressive performance from the sophomore.
Scott set a career-high for the second straight game, scoring 23 points to lead the Razorbacks to an 80-67 win against Charlotte in front of an season-high crowd of 10,800 in Bud Walton Arena.
He netted 15 of his points in the second half, pushing Arkansas (9-3) to its fourth straight win and running its record to 9-0 in Fayetteville.
“If it was up to me, I’d have his uncle move over here so he can talk to him a lot more,” Arkansas freshman Hunter Mickelson said.
“He’s been playing real well lately.”
Scott’s most important contributions came between the end of the first half and start of the second. He scored 14 straight for the Razorbacks during a five-minute period in which they expanded their lead to 48-27.
Scott got going, once again, with strong drives to the basket. He also knocked down some mid-range jumpers, made a few free throws, and helped the Razorbacks enjoy one of their best wins.
“It just felt good coming off my wrist,” said Scott, who has scored 41 points the past two games to lead Arkansas. “Once I get that going, I just feel like every shot is going in.”
Scott had help, of course, from an Arkansas team that picked up contributions from everyone and harassed Charlotte (7-4) with its pressure.
The Razorbacks held the 49ers to 34.9 percent shooting, forced 17 turnovers and outrebounded them 48-40. Arkansas also turned 14 offensive rebounds into 19 second-chance points, blocked seven shots and recorded nine steals.
“I thought they probably won the battle of the little things,” Charlotte coach Alan Major said. “The game just came down to little things.”
The effort was key during two big spurts in the first half, which helped Arkansas build a double-digit cushion it maintained in the second half.
The first came after the Razorbacks fell behind 7-3 to open the game. Arkansas settled in and ripped off a 14-0 run, highlighted by a pair of 3-pointers from guard Mardracus Wade to take a 17-7 lead. The Razorbacks pushed the advantage to 13 before the 49ers cut it back to five at 27-22.
But once again, Arkansas finished the first half with a strong defensive effort. The Razorbacks outscored Charlotte 13-5 over the final six minutes. Scott scored the final six points for the Hogs, pushing the lead to 40-27.
“You’re starting to see more runs take place,” Arkansas coach Mike Anderson said. “When those runs take place … that’s Razorback basketball.”
Arkansas led by as much as 23 in the second half before losing concentration down the stretch.
But Anderson said the overall defensive performance, effort and intensity a sign his young team “grew up” Wednesday. Scott agreed, saying the Razorbacks are beginning to wear down opponents with pressure, getting out in transition to scoring some easy buckets.
“I think we got in them,” Scott said. “We didn’t finish the game right, but we stepped it up the second half and they were real tired.”
Scott, who also added six rebounds, five assists and two steals Wednesday, has been one of the biggest catalysts of the recent success.
Scott said Anderson, the rest of Arkansas’ coaches and teammates all have been pushing him to stay aggressive. So, too, has his uncle.
“It’s a possibility,” Scott said when asked if he planned to talk to his uncle before every game now because of the recent success. “He’s definitely a big influence on my life.”
CHARLOTTE (67)
Sherrill 4-5 3-4 11, Barnett 3-8 4-6 11, Green 4-10 0-0 11, Mayfield 3-11 5-10 11, Henry 2-6 2-4 6, Nickerson 0-6 4-8 4, Briscoe 1-3 0-0 2, Williams 2-3 0-0 4, Braswell 3-11 0-0 7 Totals 22-63 18-32 67
ARKANSAS (80)
Abron 1-3 3-4 5, Sanchez 1-4 5-6 7, Wade 4-9 2-2 14, Scott 9-14 5-8 23, Nobles 1-7 0-0 2, Madden 2-6 2-2 7, Young 2-6 2-2 7, Haydar 0-0 0-0 0, Mickelson 4-7 0-2 8, Waithe 2-4 3-4 7 Totals 26-60 22-31 80
Halftime — Arkansas 40-27. Three-point goals — Charlotte 5-24 (Green 3-6, Barnett 1-4, Braswell 1-2, Mayfield 0-6, Henry 0-4, Nickerson 0-1, Williams 0-1). Arkansas 6-20 (Wade 4-7, Madden 1-3, Young 1-4, Waithe 0-2, Scott 0-2, Nobles 0-2). Fouled out — None. Rebounds — Charlotte 40 (Mayfield 10). Arkansas 48 (Sanchez 8). Assists — Charlotte (Henry 4). Arkansas 20 (Scott 5). Total fouls — Charlotte 23. Arkansas 21. Attendance — 10,800 estimated.
