Women's Basketball rebounds for final Big 12 win
March 6, 2013
John Byczek, Texas Media Relations Texas Women’s Basketball now heads into the postseason with a head of momentum following a 58-45 victory against West Virginia on Tuesday night. It marked UT’s third-straight win at home, and was earmarked by a dominant combination of low-post play and strong rebounding. Nneka Enemkpali led the way with her 13th double-double of the season, which included 16 points and 15 rebounds. Imani McGee-Stafford had 12 rebounds, seven points and blocked five Mountaineer shots, bringing her 2012-13 blocks total to 72 – a new freshman record. “Obviously, Nneka Enemkpali and Imani McGee-Stafford have been tremendous on the boards all year long, but I thought tonight our guards made an effort to get in there, get on the boards and add some hustle plays and loose-ball rebounds. That helps a lot,” head coach Karen Aston said. Point guard Celina Rodrigo finished with five rebounds, and Chassidy Fussell had three. During the first four minutes of play, Texas defined its advantage in the paint. By the 15:55 mark of the first half, the Longhorns had already outrebounded the Mountaineers, 5-1. By halftime, Texas had outrebounded West Virginia 20-11. Enemkpali and McGee-Stafford combined for 12 rebounds -- more rebounds than the entire West Virginia team. Rodrigo recorded three boards of her own.
UT also outscored West Virginia in the paint 16-2 before the first half was over, which helped the Longhorns to a 24-20 lead going into the halftime locker room. During the second half, the strong play in the paint continued. Texas finished the game with 43 rebounds while West Virginia only had 25. Enempkali and McGee-Stafford concluded the game with more rebounds than the entire Mountaineer squad with 15 and 12, respectively. “I’m really proud of the team,” Aston said. “I can’t say enough about how much we’ve grown this year. We’ve gotten so much better game after game after game.” Texas will battle Kansas State in the opening round of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Women’s Basketball Tournament on Friday, March 8, in Dallas. |
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