Jan. 27, 2009
Complete notes [PDF]
#16/17 TEXAS (14-4, 2-2 Big 12) vs. #11/7 Texas A&M (15-3, 3-2 Big 12)
State Farm Lone Star Showdown
Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2009 • 7 p.m. Central
Frank Erwin Center (16,755) • Austin, Texas
GAME DAY QUICK FACTS
TELEVISION: The game will be televised in-state by LSN (Time Warner Cable Ch. 54 in Austin). Kevin Eschenfelder (pxp) and Debbie Antonelli (analyst) will call the action.
RADIO: KVET (1300 AM Sportsradio The Zone) will broadcast Wednesday's game between Texas and Texas A&M. Fans can also tune into XM Satellite Radio Ch. 231 for all of the action. Craig Way (pxp) and Carol Ross (analyst) will call the game.
INTERNET AUDIO: Listen to Texas Basketball games on subscription-based Yahoo! Sports College Broadcast.
SERIES: Texas leads, 58-15. Last meeting: Texas A&M 65-50 (Feb. 24, 2008; Austin, Texas)
NOTABLES
• TOUGH TEST ... Texas will face its second- and third-consecutive Top-25 opponents when it hosts No. 11/7 Texas A&M on Wednesday before traveling to No. 4/3 Baylor on Sunday, Feb. 1 (3 p.m. tip, FSN). Including last Sunday's game at then-No. 3/2 Oklahoma, Texas is playing a four-game stretch against ranked opponents with only Wednesday's contest being played in Austin.
• LEAGUE LEADERS ... The Longhorns find themselves atop the Big 12 Conference in three statistical categories (Jan. 25). Through all games, UT leads the league in scoring margin (+21.4), free-throw percentage (271-of-364, .745) and blocked shots (110, 6.1 bpg). Additionally, Carla Cortijo is averaging 8.0 assists per game in league play, a mark which leads the Big 12. Cortijo also leads the conference with a 2.5 assist/turnover ratio.
SERIES VS. TEXAS A&MWednesday's contest marks the 74th meeting between in-state foes Texas and Texas A&M. Texas holds a 58-15 advantage in the all-time series that began on Mar. 23, 1975, with a 63-62 UT win. The Aggies have won five of the last six contests, including both meetings last season.
THE STATE FARM LONE STAR SHOWDOWN
The 2008-09 academic season marks the fifth year of the State Farm Lone Star Showdown, the all-sports athletics competition between Texas and Texas A&M. UT has won three of the first four Showdowns. The Longhorns claimed the inaugural Showdown in 2004-05 by a 14.5-4.5 point margin, recorded a 14.0-5.0 victory in 2005-06 and posted a 10.5-8.5 win in 2006-07. The Aggies registered a 10.5-8.5 victory last year. Texas holds a 5.0-1.5 lead in points in this year's Showdown standings heading into Wednesday's women's basketball contest in Austin. The winning school in Wednesday's game receives 0.5 point. In order to win the Showdown, a school must acquire 10.0 points during the year.
A CHECK OF THE POLLS
Texas is ranked No. 16 in the latest Associated Press poll (Jan. 26) and No. 17 in the latest ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll (Jan. 27). Texas is 3-1 this season against Top 25 opponents. During the non-conference season, UT dropped then-No. 25/20 Old Dominion 78-44 (Nov. 17) before handing then-No. 7/10 Tennessee (73-59, Dec. 14) and then-No. 21/21 Arizona State (81-71, Dec. 18) back-to-back losses in Austin. The Horns lost their most recent game to a ranked opponent on Jan. 25 at Oklahoma (89-69).
LAST TIME OUT: AT OKLAHOMA (JAN. 25)
(AP) - Courtney Paris had 23 points and a season-best 21 rebounds, and Danielle Robinson added 18 points and eight assists as No. 3 Oklahoma defeated No. 14 Texas 89-69 on Sunday. Ashley Lindsey scored 15 points to lead Texas (14-4, 2-2), which gave up its most points of the season and got outrebounded 46-27. Oklahoma shot 37-for-62 (60 percent) against a Longhorns defense that had been holding opponents to 33 percent shooting, the third-best mark in the nation. Carla Cortijo added 11 points for Texas, which forced 24 turnovers, but couldn't overcome a 46-27 deficit on the glass.
TEXAS-OKLAHOMA NOTES
· UT played in front of its largest crowd of the season at the Lloyd Noble Center with a recorded attendance of 9,582.
· Texas shot .358 (24-of-67) from the field, marking its second-lowest FG percentage of the season...Oklahoma shot .597 (37-of-62), which is a season-high for a Texas opponent and the first to shoot .500 or better.
· Texas recorded a season-low 27 rebounds...it was its lowest since last totaling 29 boards against Connecticut in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament on March 25, 2008.
· UT was outrebounded 46-27 and is now 2-2 this season when being beaten on the boards.
· Texas' largest lead of the game was at the 17:08 point in the first half, 7-2.
HORNS AT HOME
Now in its 32nd year of play in the Frank Erwin Center, Texas has posted an all-time record of 403-68 (.856) in the building. Texas has an all-time 77-48 (.616) mark against AP Top 25 teams at home, and boasts a 5-2 record under second-year head coach Gail Goestenkors. The Horns have won 11-consecutive games at home, a streak that dates back to their 70-55 win over Texas Tech on Mar. 5, 2008.
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?
The big statistical difference in Texas' 14 wins and four losses this season can be traced to the defensive end of the court. In its 14 wins this year, Texas has held its opponents to an average of 50.7 points per contest and a combined 31.9 percent FG shooting, including a 56-of-221 (.253) mark from three-point range.
FONTENETTE BETTER IN BIG 12 PLAY
In her first collegiate season, Ashleigh Fontenette has been much more productive and efficient since the start of Big 12 Conference play. During UT's first four league contests, Fontenette is averaging 8.8 ppg on 14-of27 (.519) shooting from the field in 22.3 minutes per contest.
GOESTENKORS VS. IN-STATE OPPONENTS
Second-year head coach Gail Goestenkors boasts a 12-5 record against in-state opponents. She collected her first win against a fellow Texas opponent with a 94-35 win over Lamar on Nov. 15, 2007. In Big 12 contests, Goestenkors is 4-5 against in-state rivals.
TEXAS DEPTH
Through 18 games, the Longhorns have showcased the team's depth with seven different leading or co-leading scorers and nine different leading rebounders. Junior Brittainey Raven has been the team's leading or co-leading scorer in nine games, while sophomore Kathleen Nash has held the title in four games and junior Erika Arriaran in three. Seniors Earnesia Williams, Carla Cortijo and Ashley Lindsey were also Texas' top scorers against Dayton (Nov. 15), UTEP (Dec. 28) and Oklahoma (Jan. 25), respectively. Freshman Ashleigh Fontenette was the youngest Longhorn to lead the squad after posting a career-high 21 points against Nebraska (Jan. 14). On the rebounding side, Ka. Nash has led in seven games followed by sister Kristen Nash and senior Ashley Lindsey, who have each led four times this season.
DOMINANT DEFENSE
Texas has held its opponents to an average of 55.0 points per contest and a combined 34.5 percent FG shooting, including a 77-of-274 (.281) mark from 3-point range. UT has held 14 of its 18 opponents to under 40 percent FG shooting and seven to under 30 percent FG shooting. The Longhorns rank 13th nationally in field-goal percentage defense.
LEADING THE LEAGUE
With Big 12 Conference action underway, the Longhorns find themselves atop the league in three statistical categories (Jan. 25). Through all games, UT leads the league in scoring margin (+21.4), free-throw percentage (271-of-364, .745) and blocked shots (110, 6.1 bpg).
UT is one of two schools in the league to rank in the top five in both scoring offense (No. 2, 76.4) and scoring defense (No. 5, 55.0), and the only squad to rank in the top three in both 3-point FG percentage (No. 2, .392) and 3-point FG percentage defense (No. 3, .281).
