Complete notes [PDF]
#15/16 TEXAS (20-9, 8-7 Big 12) vs. #3/3 Oklahoma (26-3, 14-1 Big 12)
Sunday, March 8, 2009 • 2:30 p.m. Central
Frank Erwin Center (16,755) • Austin, Texas
GAME DAY QUICK FACTS
TELEVISION: The game will be televised by FSN (Time Warner Cable Ch. 54 in Austin). Brent Stover (pxp) and Brenda VanLengen (color) will call the action.
RADIO: KVET (1300 AM Sportsradio The Zone) will broadcast Sunday’s game between Texas and Oklahoma, and 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.
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, 21-14. Last meeting: OU 89-69 (Jan. 25, 2009; Norman, Okla.)
NOTABLES
• SENIOR DAY ... Sunday marks the final home game for four members of the Texas Women’s Basketball roster. Guard Carla Cortijo, forwards Earnesia Williams and Ashley Lindsey and post Aubry Cook will take to the Erwin Center court for their final home game Sunday afternoon.
• PHILLIPS 66 BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP STARTS THURSDAY ... The 2009 Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championship returns to the Cox Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., Thursday, March 12-Sunday, March 15. This is the first year for a schedule format change that calls for games to be contested Thursday-Sunday. Previously, the tournament began on Tuesday and allowed for a day off prior to a Saturday title game. Texas holds a 15-11 record in Big 12 games, which includes its run to the semifinals a year ago as a No. 7 seed.
SERIES VS. OKLAHOMA
Sunday’s contest marks the 36th meeting between Red River rivals Texas and Oklahoma. Texas holds a 21-14 advantage in the all-time series that began with five-straight UT victories on Nov. 17, 1979, in Norman. The two teams split last year’s meetings, with the Sooners winning 74-58 in Austin (Feb. 3) and the Longhorns winning 65-50 on the road (Mar. 2). Oklahoma won the first contest this season, 89-69, on Jan. 25 in Norman. Texas holds an 11-4 advantage when playing in Austin.
Series Quick Facts
Overall Series Record - Texas, 21-14
Goestenkors all-time vs. Oklahoma - 1-3
Most UT points - 87 (twice)
Most Oklahoma points - 97 (Jan. 17, 1998)
Fewest UT points - 47 (Mar. 13, 2004)
Fewest Oklahoma points - 36 (Feb. 26, 2005)
Biggest UT margin - 36 (72-36; Feb. 26, 2005)
Biggest OU margin - 20 (three times)
In overtime - Texas, 2-0
A CHECK OF THE POLLS
Texas is ranked No. 15 in the latest Associated Press poll (Mar. 2) and No. 16 in the latest ESPN/USA Today Coaches poll (Mar. 3). Texas is 5-4 this season against AP Top 25 opponents and 2-4 in Big 12 contests.
LAST TIME OUT: K-STATE (MARCH 4)
(AP) - Marlies Gipson scored 24 points as Kansas State (22-6, 9-6 Big 12) upset No. 15 Texas 66-50 on March 4. Brittainey Raven led the Longhorns (20-9, 8-7) with 12 points. Neither team could gain control of the game until the Longhorns used an 8-0 run--all by Erika Arriaran--to take a 20-13 lead midway through the half. But two straight baskets by Kansas State’s Shalee Lehning sparked an 18-5 run that gave the Wildcats a 31-25 lead at the break. A basket by Raven cut the deficit to four with 16:47 left in the second half. But the Wildcats held Texas without a field goal for nearly nine minutes and used a 17-3 run to extend their lead to 54-36 with 6:10 remaining.
HORNS AT HOME
Now in its 32nd year of play in the Frank Erwin Center, Texas has posted an all-time record of 405-71 (.851) in the building. Texas has an all-time 77-50 (.606) mark against AP Top 25 teams at home, and boasts a 5-4 record under second-year head coach Gail Goestenkors.
TEXAS/K-STATE NOTES
· Texas finished the regular season 5-1 against Big 12 North opponents.
· The Longhorns shot 45.5 percent (5-of-11) from three-point range, marking their highest percentage from beyond the arc since Oklahoma State on Feb. 18 (.565, 13-of-23).
· UT held its opponents’ bench scoreless for the third time this season (San Diego State, Colorado), 21-0.
· The game saw seven lead changes but no tied scores.
· Spurred by an 8-0 run by Erika Arriaran, UT held a 20-13 lead with 9:08 remaining in the first half before KSU closed with an 18-5 run to lead by six points at the halfway point, 31-25.
· Texas failed to connect on a field goal from 13:18 to 4:39 in the second half, a span of 8 minutes and 38 seconds.
20 WINS...AGAIN
With a 66-56 victory at Missouri on Feb. 24, the Longhorns reached their second-consecutive 20-win season under second-year head coach Gail Goestenkors. The 2008-09 squad is 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.
HOT FROM THE FIELD
Eight Texas players are shooting 40 percent or better from the field. Junior Kristen Nash (.512) leads the Longhorns, while seniors Earnesia Williams (.492) and Ashley Lindsey (.490) rank second and third, respectively. Three Longhorns have also made 33 or more three-pointers this season (Kathleen Nash - 42; Erika Arriaran - 38; Brittainey Raven - 33).
THREE-POINT SUCCESS
Texas has converted 37.0 percent (155-of-419) from beyond the arc. UT is 11-2 on the season when shooting 40 percent or better from three-point range. The Horns recorded a season-high 13-of-23 performance (.565) at Oklahoma State (Feb. 5), and their 13 three pointers in that game stand as the second-best single-game record in Texas history.
LINDSEY DOUBLING UP
Senior Ashley Lindsey has recorded two double-doubles in her last five games. Her first of the season came against Oklahoma State (Feb. 18) with 16 points and 10 rebounds, and her most recent was a 16-point, 16-rebound performance against Baylor (Feb. 28). Additionally, Lindsey has four double-digit performances in her last six games.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
The big statistical difference in Texas’ 20 wins and nine losses this season can be traced to the defensive end of the court. In its 20 wins, Texas has held opponents to an average of 53.0 points per contest and a combined .328 percent FG shooting, including an 82-of-325 (.252) mark from three-point range.
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 among the top three in scoring, steals, three-point field goals and blocked shots. Fontenette leads the league freshmen in steals (1.53 spg), ranks second three-point field goals (10-of-22, .455) and is third in scoring (8.1 ppg), rebounding (3.4 rpg) and assists (1.67 apg), while Gayle co-leads 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.
