Women’s basketball: With solid play, Scott emerges as a leader

After a Dec. 29 loss to Duquesne, head coach Agnus Berenato challenged her players to take on… After a Dec. 29 loss to Duquesne, head coach Agnus Berenato challenged her players to take on team-leadership roles.

“Someone needs to be on the court to step it up and have a real presence,” Berenato said. “We have yet to have someone consistently be a leader.”

Since that game, the Panthers have gone 2-7, with just one win coming from Big East conference play.

But in the last few contests, junior guard Shayla Scott showed her desire to finish the season with intensity as her high level of play allows her to emerge as a leader.

In the last three games, Scott contributed double-digit scoring figures, including an 18-point performance against the No. 1 Connecticut Huskies.

Those 18 points tied Scott’s career best, but in Tuesday’s 87-80 overtime loss to Syracuse, Scott set a new personal record.

With 21 points and 10 rebounds, Scott earned her second double-double of the season.

These numbers should not be surprising, Beranato said, given Scott’s potential as a player.

“This was Shayla’s career-high night, but she’s capable of getting 21 points,” she said. “She is capable of getting a double-double.”

For Scott, her individual performance, especially as a rebounder, is important, but she measures it in terms of the team outcome.

“It’s nice to have the 10 rebounds,” Scott said, “but I would feel much better if they came with a win.”

The Panthers (12-9, 1-7 Big East) are struggling, and Scott can attest to the pressure that comes with continued losing.

“Where we are now, sitting 1-7 in the Big East and 12-9 overall, just does not feel good,” Scott said.

Before the Panther’s Jan. 20 matchup against South Florida, the team and Berenato discussed their objectives for the remainder of the season and what needed to occur to ensure a NCAA Tournament selection.

“We talked about how we needed to go 8-4 to finish out our season, and right now, we are 1-3 from that point,” Scott said, following the Syracuse defeat.

Despite those statistics, Scott believes that the team is in a position to make a winning run in the final eight games of the regular season.

“We came into this game expecting a win, but we still have confidence going in to play No. 3 Notre Dame this weekend,” Scott said. “We need to make a push these last couple of games.”

As part of that final surge, Scott knows that she must continue her scoring and rebounding contributions.

“This performance is something that I could do a lot more of,” Scott said. “These past couple of games and in practice, I have just been working on attacking and being more aggressive.”

Scott demonstrated this in her play against Syracuse as she controlled the rebounding boards and scored many of her points in the paint.

Like a true team leader, Scott also aims to instill passion and a willingness to win in her teammates at this critical point in the season.

“I know I can play with a lot more intensity and a lot more heart,” Scott said. “I hope my teammates will feed off of that also because we need to get the ball rolling.”

As Scott and the Panthers prepare for the trip to conference opponent Notre Dame on Saturday, the feelings associated with losing can perhaps provide motivation for the team.

“After every loss, we keep saying that we are going to be all right, but we keep losing,” Scott said. “I am tired of losing.”