Nov. 10, 2010
Complete game notes (.pdf)
#17/20 TEXAS (0-0) vs. Mississippi Valley State (0-0)
Friday, Nov. 12, 2010 • 7 p.m. Central
Frank Erwin Center (16,734) • Austin, Texas
GAME DAY QUICK FACTS
TELEVISION: None. Free live video feed at www.TexasSports.tv.
RADIO: KVET-AM 1300 “The Zone” will broadcast Friday’s game between Texas and Mississippi Valley State. Jon Madani (pxp) and Carol Ross (analyst) will call the action.
TICKET INFO: Dollar Day - $1 general admission tickets must be purchased at the doors.
SERIES: First meeting.
NOTABLES
• TEXAS OPENS 37th SEASON ... The Longhorns open the 37th season of UT basketball on Friday, Nov. 12, with a 7 p.m. contest against Mississippi Valley State. In 36 seasons, the Horns have posted an all-time record of 886-298 (.748).
• WHAT RETURNS FOR THE HORNS ... When broken down statistically, Texas returns 54.0 percent of its scoring, 58.0 percent of its rebounding, 51.0 percent of its assists and 81.0 percent of its blocks from last season. Included in the breakdown are two of UT’s top three scorers from last season (Kathleen Nash, Ashleigh Fontenette) and top two rebounders (Nash, Ashley Gayle).
• EXHIBITION EXCELLENCE ... Anne Marie Hartung produced a double-double off the bench with 26 points and 13 rebounds, both game-highs, as the Longhorns boasted six players in double digit scoring to rout Trinity 132-38 in an exhibition victory on Nov. 5. Kathleen Nash and Chassidy Fussell each scored 21 points. Nash went 5-of-7 shooting from 3-point range. Yvonne Anderson added 20 points, Ashleigh Fontenette scored 17 and freshman Chelsea Bass came off the bench for 14. The Longhorns featured nine players who each played at least 17 minutes.
THE 37th SEASON
Texas tips off its 37th season of intercollegiate basketball when it plays host to Mississippi Valley State on Friday, Nov. 12. Tip is slated for 7 p.m. at the Erwin Center. The Longhorns hold an all-time record of 886-298 (.748) in their previous 36 years of competition. UT played its first varsity basketball contest on Nov. 26, 1974 and recorded a 68-17 victory against Huston-Tillotson. The Horns went on to post a 17-10 mark in the program’s opening season.
TEXAS IN SEASON OPENERS
Texas has posted an overall mark of 27-9 (.806) in its previous 36 season-opening games. The Longhorns are 3-0 in season openers under coach Gail Goestenkors.
TEXAS IN HOME OPENERS
Texas has posted an overall mark of 33-3 (.917) in its previous 36 home-opening contests. UT is 30-3 in home openers since the Frank Erwin Center opened prior to the 1977-78 season. The Horns are 3-0 in home openers under coach Gail Goestenkors.
HORNS PICKED FOURTH IN BIG 12 PRESEASON POLL
Texas was picked to finish fourth in the Big 12 Conference in a preseason vote of the league head coaches. The Longhorns have been picked to finish fourth or higher in the Big 12 a dozen times since 1997.
A CHECK OF THE POLLS
UT was ranked No. 17 in The Associated Press preseason poll and No. 20 ESPN/USA Today preseason poll. UT will face eight opponents in the regular season who are ranked in the preseason polls: No. 2/2 Baylor (Jan. 12 in Austin, Feb. 12 in Waco), No. 3/2 Stanford (Nov. 28 in Palo Alto), No. 4/4 Tennessee (Dec. 12 in Austin), No. 8/8 Texas A&M (Jan. 19 in College Station, Feb. 27 in Austin), No. 10/9 Oklahoma (Jan. 16 in Austin, Feb. 19 in Norman), No. 20/17 Iowa State (Feb. 21 in Ames), No. 25/24 Michigan State (Dec. 5 in East Lansing) and No. rv/23 Nebraska (Feb. 15 in Austin).
BETTER BY THE YEAR
With 10 Big 12 Conference win in 2010, Texas produced its best league record since 2005 when it finished 13-3. The Longhorns have steadily improved their performance in league play over the past three seasons, as they went 7-9 in 2008 and 8-8 in 2009.
HORNS AT HOME
Now in its 34th year of play in the Frank Erwin Center, Texas has posted an all-time record of 416-75 (.847) in the building. Texas has an all-time 78-53 (.595) mark against AP Top 25 teams at home, and a 7-7 (.500) record under fourth-year head coach Gail Goestenkors.
WHAT’S BACK
The Longhorns return three starters (Ashley Gayle, Ashleigh Fontenette, Kathleen Nash) from last year’s squad that earned their third-consecutive berth in the NCAA Tournament under head coach Gail Goestenkors. When broken down statistically, Texas returns 54.0 percent of its scoring, 58.0 percent of its rebounding, 51.0 percent of its assists and 81.0 percent of its blocks from last season. Included in the breakdown are two of UT’s top three scorers from last season (Nash, Fontenette) and top two rebounders (Nash, Gayle).
TAKING THE FIFTH
Senior guard Sarah Lancaster is displaying her talents on the hardwood instead of tennis courts this year. A four-year Texas Women’s Tennis letterwinner with an 89-38 singles-match record, Lancaster will graduate this December with a degree in sport management. During the spring semester, she will take graduate courses to prepare for a Fall 2011 enrollment in law school.
TRIPLE CROWN
Texas’ roster boasts a trio of ‘Miss Basketball’ honorees this year. Junior guard Yvonne Anderson was tabbed the 2008 Miss Show-Me Basketball, while freshman forward Anne Marie Hartung earned the same honor in 2010. Freshman guard Chassidy Fussell is the reigning Tennessee Class AA Miss Basketball.
FONTENETTE AND NASH EARN PRESEASON BIG 12 HONORS
Junior guard Ashleigh Fontenette and senior guard Kathleen Nash earned Preseason All-Big 12 Women’s Basketball honorable mention accolades in a vote by the league’s head coaches. Fontenette was the Longhorns’ second-leading scorer in conference play last season with an average of 10.8 points per game (24th in the league), while Nash led UT on the boards in league games with 6.2 rebounds per game (15th).
POWERFUL POST
Junior post Ashley Gayle has proven herself to be a serious threat to opponents’ offensive attacks during her first two seasons on the Forty Acres. Gayle set the single-season blocks record during her sophomore campaign with 103, and became the first player in school history to eclipse the 100-blocks mark in just one year. Additionally, Gayle plays above the rim with a flat-footed, non-step vertical reach of 10-2.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
In addition to facing five conference opponents ranked in The AP and ESPN/USA Today Preseason Top 25 polls, UT will take on three additional opponents in nonconference contests that are also ranked: No. 3/2 Stanford (Nov. 28 in Palo Alto), No. 4/4 Tennessee (Dec. 12 in Austin) and No. 25/24 Michigan State (Dec. 5 in East Lansing).
FACING THE FINAL FOUR
Texas is scheduled to face three 2010 NCAA Final Four participants this season. UT will travel to Stanford on Nov. 28 for its first road contest before facing Oklahoma and Baylor in Big 12 Conference action. Last year, the Longhorns compiled a 3-2 record against the Final Four field (2-0 vs. Baylor, 1-1 vs. Oklahoma, 0-1 vs. Connecticut).
SILVER ANNIVERSARY
This season marks the 25th anniversary of Texas’ historic 1986 national championship that included the first perfect record in NCAA history (34-0). The Longhorns captured the national title on March 30, 1986, with a 97-81 win over Southern California in Lexington, Ky.
FOLLOW COACH G ON TWITTER
Fans can follow Coach G’s 140-character updates on Twitter by following @TexasCoachG. Whether it’s an inside look at the Texas Women’s Basketball program or Goestenkors’ review of her most recently read book, fans have more access to their favorite college coach than ever before through Twitter.
