Copyright Arkansas Online
FAYETTEVILLE -- Not much went right for the University of Arkansas women's basketball team in the first six-plus minutes of its season Tuesday night at Walton Arena. The Razorbacks were missing shots from point-blank range, committing offensive fouls with reckless drives, struggling to get stops and, ultimately, looked nervous. It was evident they were trying to jell. It was Arkansas' first game under first-year Coach Kelsi Musick and the first game with new teammates for many players. Louisiana Tech made the most of the miscues and surged ahead 17-2 for an incriminating start to the Musick era. She called a timeout with 4:42 left in the quarter with her team needing to climb out of a quick 15-point hole. "I thought we were nervous," Musick said on the Razorback Sports Network postgame radio show. "We played a little bit tentative." The message she gave her team in the timeout huddle worked. Arkansas outscored Louisiana Tech by 27 points the rest of the way to win 93-81. The Razorbacks poured in 91 points over the final 33 minutes, 34 seconds -- averaging nearly three points per minute. "For us to be able to fight back from that deficit early in our first game shows this team is gritty," Musick said. "They've just got a lot of fight in them." The Razorbacks (1-0) are hoping the lessons learned in their opener will translate to success in Friday's second act when they face Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Tipoff for the Elementary Day game at Walton Arena is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Friday. "I'll always be the critiquer," Musick said. "Because that's my job, no matter what. I can always find something we can get better at, but for us to come out with a new team in (Walton Arena) with a good crowd and to be able to fight back from that deficit and get a win is something I'm extremely proud of my team for." The Golden Lions (1-0) began their second year under Coach Erica Leak -- a two-time All-Western Athletic Conference performer at Louisiana Tech from 2001-05 who was taken in the WNBA Draft -- with an upset victory at Memphis. They trailed by 13 early in the fourth quarter before ending the game on an 18-4 run over the final 6:15 to win 69-64. It marked the first season-opening victory for UAPB since 2020. UAPB will be looking to pull off its second stunner in as many trips to Fayetteville; the Golden Lions shocked the Razorbacks 74-70 in December 2023 during former coach Mike Neighbors' penultimate season at the helm. Musick is hoping her team can avoid a similar fate against a UAPB team that figures to come in motivated. The Golden Lions were picked to finish second-to-last in the preseason Southwestern Athletic Conference poll, but if Monday's result at Memphis is any indicator, they should not be taken lightly. "To really hone in and be extremely focused (in nonconference play) is going to be necessary," Musick said ahead of Tuesday's opener. "Because that's what it's going to take to be able to compete in the SEC." Thousands of loud and energetic local students expected to be in the stands adds intrigue for Friday's game. In last year's Elementary Day game, the Razorbacks boasted an announced crowd of 12,267 -- the second-largest home attendance in program history. Musick views the opportunity to showcase her team to local youth as an avenue to grow the fan base. "A lot of times when you get kids in the building, they'll bring their parents, their grandparents and their friends back," Musick said. "So, hopefully we put on a good show for that. But I also think that my players have to understand (that for) some of these kids, this might be the only time they ever get to watch an Arkansas basketball game. "My players need to take heed to that and understand that it's a big deal that all of these young children are coming to watch them play. They need to show up and show out for 40 minutes. They owe it to those young people that look up to them." Arkansas guard Taleyah Jones, who had a 20-point, 12-rebound outing against Louisiana Tech, echoed her coach's sentiment. "This might be their only time to ever watch a college basketball game," Jones said. "So I want to be able to put a show on for them."
