Nov. 11, 2009
Complete Game Notes
#12/14 TEXAS (0-0) vs. UTSA (0-0)
Friday, Nov. 13, 2009 • 7 p.m. Central
Frank Erwin Center (16,734) • Austin, Texas
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GAME DAY QUICK FACTS
TELEVISION: None. Free live video feed at www.TexasSports.tv.
RADIO: KVET (1300 AM Sportsradio The Zone) will broadcast Friday’s game between Texas and UTSA. Craig Way (pxp) and Carol Ross (analyst) will call the action.
SERIES: Texas leads, 2-0. Last meeting: Texas 90-45 (Dec. 7, 1984; Austin, Texas)
NOTABLES
• TEXAS OPENS 36th SEASON ... The Longhorns will open the 36th season of UT basketball on Friday, Nov. 13, with a 7 p.m. contest against UTSA. In 35 seasons, the Horns have posted an all-time record of 864-287 (.751).
• UT 32-3 IN HOME OPENERS ... In all-time home openers, Texas holds a dominating 32-3 record, and also boasts a 26-9 all-time season-opener record. The Horns are 11-3 in their last 14 season openers and 5-1 over their last six. Last year in Austin, then-No. 13 Texas opened the season with a 66-40 victory over Dayton on Nov. 15 to begin Gail Goestenkors’ second season on the Forty Acres.
• WHAT RETURNS FOR THE HORNS ... When broken down statistically, Texas returns 78.5 percent of its scoring, 76.7 percent of its rebounding, 62.0 percent of its assists and 56.6 percent of its blocks from last season. Included in the breakdown are UT’s top two scorers from last season (Brittainey Raven and Kathleen Nash) and top two rebounders (Nash and Earnesia Williams).
THE 36th SEASONTexas tips off its 36th season of intercollegiate basketball when it plays host to UTSA on Friday, Nov. 13. Tip is slated for 7 p.m. at the Erwin Center. The Longhorns hold an all-time record of 864-287 (.751) in their previous 35 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.
SERIES VS. UTSA
Friday’s contest marks the third meeting between I-35 rivals Texas and UTSA. The Longhorns hold a perfect 2-0 record in the all-time series which began on Feb. 8, 1983, with a 74-54 Horns’ victory in San Antonio. The two teams last met in Austin on Dec. 7, 1984, when UT notched a 90-45 victory.
TEXAS IN SEASON OPENERS
Texas has posted an overall mark of 26-9 (.743) in its previous 35 season-opening games. The Longhorns are 2-0 in season openers under coach Gail Goestenkors.
TEXAS IN HOME OPENERS
Texas has posted an overall mark of 32-3 (.914) in its previous 35 home-opening contests. UT is 29-3 in home openers since the Frank Erwin Center opened prior to the 1977-78 season. The Horns are 2-0 in home openers under coach Gail Goestenkors.
HORNS PICKED SECOND IN BIG 12 PRESEASON POLL
Texas was picked to finish tied for second in the Big 12 Conference in a preseason vote of the league head coaches. The Longhorns have been picked to finish second or higher in the Big 12 five times since 1997.
A CHECK OF THE POLLS
UT was ranked No. 12 in The Associated Press preseason poll and No. 14 ESPN/USA Today preseason poll. UT will face seven opponents in the regular season who are ranked in the preseason polls: No. 1/1 Connecticut (Nov. 17 in San Antonio), No. 7/4 Baylor (Jan. 31 in Austin, March 7 in Waco), No. 8/9 Tennessee (Dec. 6 in Knoxville), No. rv/16 Texas A&M (Jan. 9 in Austin, Feb. 20 in College Station), No. 13/8 Oklahoma (Feb. 3 in Norman, Feb. 27 in Austin), No. 20/rv Kansas (Feb. 13 in Lawrence), and No. 25/rv Rutgers (Nov. 28 in U.S. Virgin Islands).
TEXAS NUMBERS UNDER GOESTENKORS
In Gail Goestenkors’ first two seasons at the helm of the Texas program, she has led UT to a 43-25 record (.632) and back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. Last season, the Longhorns held the opposition to 36.8 percent field goal shooting, the third lowest FG percentage defense in Texas history, while also setting the second-best single-season free throw percentage mark (.724).
HORNS AT HOME
Now in its 33rd year of play in the Frank Erwin Center, Texas has posted an all-time record of 405-72 (.849) in the building. Texas has an all-time 75-51 (.595) mark against AP Top 25 teams at home, and boasts a 5-5 (.500) record under second-year head coach Gail Goestenkors. The Horns have won 23 of their last 30 home contests under Coach G.
WHAT’S BACK
The Longhorns return three starters (Brittainey Raven, Earnesia Williams, Ashleigh Fontenette) from last year’s squad that earned their second-consecutive berth in the NCAA Tournament under head coach Gail Goestenkors. When broken down statistically, Texas also returns 78.5 percent of its scoring, 76.7 percent of its rebounding, 62.0 percent of its assists and 56.6 percent of its blocks. Included in the breakdown are UT’s top two scorers from last season (Raven and Kathleen Nash) and top two rebounders (Nash and Williams).
FROM LONG DISTANCE
Under the direction of third-year head coach Gail Goestenkors, Texas has recorded two of the top three seasons in program history for most 3-point field goals made. In Coach G’s first season, UT made 153 baskets (2007-08) from beyond the arc for the third-best mark in school history. Last year, the Horns made 174 3-point baskets (2008-09) for the second-most in the school annals. UT’s all-time season record is 184 3-point baskets (1993-94).
Most 3-Point Field Goals Made in a Single Season
No. Games/3FG-3FGA Year
184 31 games/184-578 1993-94
174 33 games/174-483 2008-09
153 35 games/153-490 2007-08
ARRIARAN AND KAT NASH CHASING 3-POINT RECORD
Senior guard Erika Arriaran and junior guard Kathleen Nash enter the 2009-10 season having cracked the Texas all-time top 10 career list for most 3-point baskets made. Additionally, senior guard Brittainey Raven ranks 12th all-time with 80 baskets from beyond the arc.
Most 3-Point Baskets Made in UT History
Rk. Name (Seasons) Total
1. Danielle Viglione (1993-97) 293
2. Jamie Carey (2002-05) 193
3. Heather Schreiber (2001-05) 189
4. Kim Lummus (1995-99) 179
5. Alisha Sare (1999-2003) 122
6. Vicki Hall (1988-93) 115
7. Erika Arriaran (2005-pr.) 111
8. Johnna Pointer (1988-92) 101
9. Kathleen Nash (2007-pr.) 96
NO LACK OF EXPERIENCE HERE
The Texas women’s basketball coaching staff has a combined total of 91 years of experience. Mickie DeMoss leads the way with 32 years, including eight as a head coach (Kentucky, 2003-07; Florida, 1979-83). Gale Valley has 27, 15 of which were spent at Duke with head coach Gail Goestenkors, who has 23 years under her belt (two at Texas, 15 at Duke, six as an assistant at Purdue). LaKale Malone has been coaching for nine years, six of which have been in the Big 12. The Longhorns’ 91 years are tied for the most in the Big 12 with Iowa State.
POWER IN THE POST POSITION
With a pair of 6-4 posts in sophomore Ashley Gayle and freshman Cokie Reed, UT’s frontcourt could prove to be serious threats to opponents’ offensive attacks. Gayle plays above the rim with a flat-footed, non-step vertical reach of 10-2, and accounted for 60 of Texas’ 175 blocks (34.0 percent) last season, while Reed is expected to make an immediate impact in the post position.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
In addition to facing four 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. 1/1 Connecticut (Nov. 17 in San Antonio), No. 8/9 Tennessee (Dec. 6 in Knoxville) and No. 25/rv Rutgers (Nov. 28 in U.S. Virgin Islands).
RAVEN NAMED PRESEASON BIG 12 HONORABLE MENTION
Senior guard Brittainey Raven was named to the five-person Preseason All-Big 12 Women’s Basketball team in a vote by the league’s head coaches. Raven was the Longhorns’ top scorer in conference play last season with an average of 12.3 points per game (15th in the league), while notching double-figure scoring in seven of the 16 league contests.
AG AND AT ...
With a pair of student-athletes on the roster sharing the same name, it was only a matter of time before the Longhorns bestowed various nicknames among the sophomores that shared the same moniker. During their freshmen campaigns, the Horns dubbed Ashley Gayle ‘A.G.,’ while teammate Ashleigh Fontenette was tabbed ‘A.T.’ because of the many ‘T’s’ that are present in her surname.
... SISTER, SISTER
A.G. and A.T. aren’t the only players on the roster with nicknames. To tell sisters Kristen and Kathleen Nash apart, the Horns refer to senior post Kristen as ‘Nash’ and junior guard Kathleen as ‘Kat.’ Although many mistake the two for twins, they were actually born 22 months apart.
NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP HERE
As a sophomore last season, guard Kathleen Nash led UT in rebounding with 6.6 rpg and was the second-leading scorer with 11. 4 ppg. She posted a team-leading 23 double-figure scoring efforts, including four double-doubles, and connected on a team-leading 50 3-pointers. Nash was named 2009 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention for her sophomore campaign efforts.
TALES FROM SUMMER BREAK
In between pick-up games on campus, a few Horns found time to work a few adventures into their summer breaks. Junior guard Kathleen Nash studied business abroad in Paris for six weeks, while sophomore guard Ashleigh Fontenette spent a month shadowing an Austin-area attorney in an effort to pursue her dream of being a lawyer. Senior post Kristen Nash completed a summer-long internship with News 8 Sports in Austin.
