Offensive eruption paces Women's Basketball
Feb. 21, 2013
John Byczek, Texas Media Relations AUSTIN, Texas -- Shooting and consistency proved to be the winning ingredients for the Texas Longhorns against Kansas. The Women's Basketball team opened the game by sinking its first 10 shots, which set the tone for a 93-83 victory. UT finished shooting 64.6 percent from the field, which is not only a season high for the team, but was also the best shooting performance by a Big 12 team this season, in both conference and non-conference play. There was not just one hot hand on Texas' side -- there were five. Nneka Enemkpali (15), Imani McGee-Stafford (18), Empress Davenport (13), Chassidy Fussell (26) and Brady Sanders (11) all had double-digit scoring nights. Enemkpali, Fussell and McGee-Stafford posted their highest combined point total in Big 12 play with 54. Fussell, who came off a 27-point outing against Texas Tech in Lubbock this past Sunday, had a similar performance against Kansas. In the first half alone she drained 7-of-8 shots from the field and went 2-of-2 from beyond the 3-point arc. "I think it was an extension of the game in Lubbock," head coach Karen Aston said about Fussell's performance. "She has been in the gym with Travis Mays a lot. I think you can see that it's paying off some. I also think that seeing the ball go through the net a lot in Lubbock helped. Shooters are like that. Seeing the ball when it starts going in, they think they can make anything. She was definitely in a terrific groove tonight."
Fussell finished leading the team with 26 points and three assists. "Chassidy was on fire," Enemkpali said. "It seemed like everything and anything she touched was going in." Even though Fussell had a phenomenal game and was the leading scorer, Aston saw a much bigger picture. "This is definitely our best team performance," Aston said. "Everybody got involved offensively, which is a terrific thing for us because teams have been keying in on certain players and not guarding others. I think that is attributed to the players getting into the gym and taking that personally. They've done a really good job. This was great team win and a really good team performance." Texas' goal was to attack before it got attacked, and its goal was achieved. "We executed very well early in the game," Aston said. "That gets our confidence going and I thought that our team, instead of playing in waves, kept their composure when they made a run. They did a great job of staying consistent throughout the game. It was the most consistent performance we have had." Texas believes that the confidence they gained from this well-rounded team win will carry on into the future. "I think it's great because we're playing together," McGee-Stafford said. "It's also a big confidence booster for our teammates because we all were in double digits. The bench players know that they can come off the bench and give something no matter how many minutes they play. Everybody came in and did something great. It's a team confidence builder, not just individual." |
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