Gault wakes up on last go-round

UALR senior Taylor Gault (24) probably will be remembered by Trojans fans for her scoring ability, but she is leaving the school as a complete player.
UALR senior Taylor Gault (24) probably will be remembered by Trojans fans for her scoring ability, but she is leaving the school as a complete player.

Joe Foley faced a conundrum last month in Jonesboro.

photo

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Taylor Gault has been a model of consistency throughout her four years at UALR, averaging more than 15 points per game for her career.

The UALR women's basketball team was playing Arkansas State, the defending Sun Belt Conference champions led by Aundrea Gamble, the league's leading scorer and reigning player of the year.

Taylor Gault year-by-year

YEAR;G;PTS;PPG;FG-FGA;FG%;3M-3A;3%;FT-FTA;ST;A;TO

2012;33;527;16.0;215-584;36.8;34-120;28.3;63-103;56;52;96

2013;33;459;13.9;173-479;35.8;39-109;35.8;74-104;46;40;49

2012;30;457;15.2;162-428;37.9;29-87;33.3;104-125;34;65;53

2015;26;399;15.3;144-356;40.4;36-91;39.6;75-105;39;42;57

TOTALS;122;1842;15.1;694-1,847;37.6;138-407;33.9;316-437;175;199;252

Today’s game

UALR WOMEN VS. GEORGIA STATE

WHEN 5:30 p.m. WHERE Jack Stephens Center, Little Rock

RECORDS UALR 22-4, 15-2 Sun Belt; Georgia State 12-13, 7-9

TICKETS $7 for end-of-court bleacher seating, $11 for children on 200 level, $13 for 200 level, $115 for coaches’ row seating.

RADIO KARN-AM, 920, in Little Rock

INTERNET ualrtrojans.com

Senior guard Ka'Nesheia Cobbins started with the task of guarding Gamble. Cobbins, considered by coaches as UALR's best perimeter defender, picked up two fouls in the game's first 10 minutes that forced Foley to readjust.

Foley turned to Taylor Gault to defend the league's best scorer. It was a decision that wouldn't have even crossed his mind a season ago.

"I took that as a huge compliment," said Gault, who in four seasons has grown from a player asked only to hit jump shots into one who has shown an ability to score on one end of the floor and defend on the other.

Gault will play her final game at the Jack Stephens Center at 5:30 p.m. today when UALR (22-4, 15-2) hosts Georgia State (12-13, 7-9) in its home finale.

Gault likely will be remembered for her scoring. She'll leave the Trojans second on their all-time points list -- with 1,842 points it isn't likely that she'll catch Chastity Reed's record of 2,207 -- and in field goals made (694), first in free throws made (316) and fourth in three-pointers made (138).

"I don't think there's any doubt that she's the most explosive offensive player we've had at the guard spot," Foley said.

Gault's offense has never been questioned. What Foley takes satisfaction in is the evolution Gault made in her final season.

The Conway native arrived in 2011, part of a team stocked with players who were familiar with Foley's defensive requirements but with few dynamic scorers. So Gault was asked to make baskets and little else, averaging 16 points per game and setting the school's freshman scoring record while earning recognition as the league's top freshman.

Three years later, she is leaving as a more complete player, one who can be asked to take over a game with jumpers or even defend the best guard in the conference.

"I always make mistakes on defense, but I'm not making as many defensive mistakes," Gault said. "I'm putting forth better effort than I ever have, because I look at it like I'm almost playing for somebody else. I'm playing for Kiera [Clark] and I'm playing for Ka'Nesheia. They're seniors, too."

It wasn't the smoothest of rides getting there.

Gault's freshman year hit an apex when her jumper forced overtime in the Sun Belt Tournament championship game victory over Middle Tennessee. The Trojans hosted but lost to Delaware in the NCAA Tournament, but afterward Gault's role of simply being a scorer changed. Foley needed her to become a bigger part of the defensive plan.

Gault struggled with the concepts so much that by the end of her sophomore year she was barely playing. Her statistics dipped to career lows in points per game (13.9), shooting percentage (35.8) and minutes played (26.5 per game). Gault played a combined nine minutes in two games against Arkansas State that season and was held scoreless in both.

"I told her then, 'You're going to have to understand the game, and if you don't understand the game you're going to really struggle,' " Foley said. "That's exactly what happened."

Gault was in and out of the startling lineup last year but this season has become the complete player Foley always sought. With three regular-season games left, her average of 15.2 points per game is as high as it's been since her freshman year and she's making 40.4 percent of her shots and 39.6 percent of her free throws, both career highs.

Gault said the final push came easy when she realized it was her last chance to get back to the NCAA Tournament.

Foley has been around long enough to know players evolve on their own time table. He's just glad it happened with Gault when it did.

"She understands parts of the game that she didn't understand before," Foley said. "You never know when a kid is going to mature. Some kids never do, but some kids it's their senior year and it's kind of a wake-up call."

Sports on 02/26/2015

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