Feb. 23, 2009
Complete notes [PDF]
#16/13 TEXAS (19-7, 7-5 Big 12) at Missouri (12-13, 3-9 Big 12)
Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2009 • 6:30 p.m. Central
Mizzou Arena (15,061) • Columbia, Mo.
GAME DAY QUICK FACTS
TELEVISION: None.
RADIO: KVET (1300 AM Sportsradio The Zone) will broadcast Tuesday’s game between Texas and Missouri. 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.
INTERNET VIDEO: Watch Texas Basketball home games free on TexasSports.TV. (Note: Due to Big 12 Conference television contracts, home games are available for viewing 72 hours after completion of the game.)
SERIES: Texas leads, 15-1. Last meeting: Texas 67-37 (Jan. 26, 2008; Austin, Texas)
NOTABLES
• ANDERSON’S HOMECOMING ... Tuesday’s Big 12 contest at Missouri marks the homecoming for freshman guard Yvonne Anderson. Anderson’s is the daughter of Missouri men’s basketball head coach Mike Anderson.
• HOT FROM THE FIELD ... Nine Texas players are shooting 40 percent or better from the field. Senior Earnesia Williams (.509) and junior Kristen Nash (.513) are both shooting just over 50 percent from the floor while three Longhorns have also made 30 or more three-pointers this season.
• CLOSING IN ON ANOTHER 20-WIN SEASON ... At 19-7, the Longhorns are one win away from reaching their second-consecutive 20-win season under second-year head coach Gail Goestenkors. The 2008-09 squad will become the 28th team in Texas’ 35 years of women’s basketball to eclipse the 20-win mark, and Goestenkors’ 12th-consecutive team to record 20 or more wins.
SERIES VS. MISSOURITuesday’s contest marks the 17th meeting between Texas and Missouri. Texas holds a 15-1 advantage in the all-time series that began on Feb. 18, 1980, with a 77-74 UT win in Austin. The Longhorns have won the last eight meetings, including a 67-37 decision in Austin on Jan. 26, 2008. UT is 5-1 all-time when playing in Columbia, with its only loss in the series occuring on Jan. 6, 2001 (52-68).
Series Quick FactsOverall Series Record - Texas, 15-1
Goestenkors all-time vs. Mizzou - 1-0
Most UT points - 108 (Mar. 14, 1986)
Most Mizzou points - 77 (twice)
Fewest UT points - 52 (Jan. 6, 2001)
Fewest Mizzou points - 37 (Jan. 26, 2008)
Largest UT margin - 41 (108-67; Mar. 14, 1986)
Largest Mizzou margin - 16 (68-52; Jan. 6, 2001)
In overtime - Texas leads, 1-0
A CHECK OF THE POLLS
Texas is ranked No. 16 in the latest Associated Press poll (Feb. 23) and No. 13 in the latest ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll (Feb. 17). Texas is 5-3 this season against Top 25 opponents and 2-3 in Big 12 contests.
LAST TIME OUT: AT TEXAS A&M (FEB. 21)
(AP) - Takia Starks overcame an 0-for-6 first half to score 16 of her 18 points in the second half and lead No. 14 Texas A&M to a 76-65 win over No. 12 Texas on Feb. 21. Texas A&M (20-5, 8-4 Big 12) improved to 11-1 at home with its fifth-consecutive win over the Texas (19-7, 7-5). The Longhorns led by one before Texas A&M scored seven straight points to take a 42-36 lead with about 13 minutes to play. Starks scored five points in the run. A layup by Kristen Nash about a minute later got Texas within five, but Starks hit her second 3-pointer of the half to push the lead to 47-39 and the Aggies cruised to the win. Brittainey Raven and Carla Cortijo scored 16 points apiece for the Longhorns.
TEXAS-TEXAS A&M NOTES
• Texas held a 17-10 advantage with 9:45 left in the first half for its biggest lead of the game.
• Texas took its only lead in the second half with a jumper from Erika Arriaran at the 14:28 mark, 36-35.
• The Longhorns shot 43.8 percent (21-of-48) from the field...it was the sixth time in Big 12 play this season that UT shot 40 percent or better.
• The Aggies shot 44.1 percent (11-of-29) from the field, marking the first time in Big 12 play this season that the Horns have allowed back-to-back opponents to shoot better than 40
percent (Oklahoma State; 23-of-53 - .434).
• Texas committed a season-high 29 turnovers, 15 of which came in the first half...it was the most for the Longhorns since committing 30 against Tennessee on Nov. 18, 2007.
• With five three-point baskets, the Longhorns have scored five or more from long distance in five Big 12 games and 17 games overall.
LINEUP ADJUSTMENTS
Following Texas’ 68-54 loss against Texas A&M on Jan. 28, second-year head coach Gail Goestenkors adjusted her lineup, and the Longhorns hold a 5-2 record in that span. Freshmen Ashleigh Fontenette and Ashley Gayle replaced seniors Earnesia Williams and Ashley Lindsey in the lineup, and sophomore Kathleen Nash, a combination guard/forward, moved inside.
LEADING THE LEAGUE
With four Big 12 contests remaining, the Longhorns continue to find themselves atop the league in two statistical categories (Feb. 22). Through all games, UT leads the league in free-throw percentage (389-of-541, .719) and blocked shots (147, 5.7 bpg). Additionally, UT the only school in the league to rank in the top three in both 3-point FG percentage and 3-point FG percentage defense.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
The big statistical difference in Texas’ 19 wins and seven losses this season can be traced to the defensive end of the court. In its 19 wins, Texas has held opponents to an average of 52.8 points per contest and a combined .330 percent FG shooting, including a 77-of-305 (.252) mark from three-point range.
COACH’S KID
To say freshman Yvonne Anderson knows a little bit about basketball would be an understatement. She is the daughter of Missouri men’s basketball coach Mike Anderson (2006-present). Not only did she grow up surrounded by college basketball, Anderson was even born during March Madness 1990, the same year her father was an assistant head coach at Arkansas and on a run to the Final Four. Yvonne was born on March 8, 1990.
FRESHMEN FAIRING WELL
Texas’ freshmen class has responded well to the pressures of Big 12 play, as Ashleigh Fontenette and Ashley Gayle either lead the league rookies or rank in the top-two in steals, scoring, three-point field goals and blocked shots. Fontenette leads the league freshmen in steals (1.83 spg), and ranks second in scoring (8.8 ppg) and three-point field goals (9-of-17, .529), while Gayle is tied for first in her class with 1.33 bpg.
NO LACK OF EXPERIENCE HERE
The Texas women’s basketball coaching staff has a combined total of 87 years of experience. Mickie DeMoss leads the way with 31 years, including eight as a head coach (Kentucky, 2003-07; Florida, 1979-83). Gale Valley has 26, 15 of which were spent at Duke with head coach Gail Goestenkors, who has 22 years under her belt (one at Texas, 15 at Duke, six as an assistant at Purdue). LaKale Malone has been coaching for eight years, five of which have been in the Big 12. The Longhorns’ 87 years are tied for the most in the Big 12 with Iowa State.
ARRIARAN IMPRESSIVE OFF THE BENCH
Junior guard Erika Arriaran put together a string of four-straight contests with double-figure scoring. In Big 12 contests dating from Feb. 8-18, Arriaran scored 51 points and averaged 12.8 ppg. Arriaran is currently third on the team in scoring, averaging 8.3 ppg.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Texas has faced eight opponents ranked in the AP Top 25 during its 26 games this season. The Horns are 5-3 this year against the AP Top 25. During its non-conference schedule, Texas faced opponents from the Southeastern Conference (Tennessee), Pac-10 Conference (Arizona State) and Colonial Athletic Association (Old Dominion). In its five wins against the AP Top 25, Texas is defeating its opponent by an average of 12.8 points.
