Nov. 19, 2008
Complete notes [PDF]
#14/14 TEXAS (3-0) vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (1-1)
Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008 · 7 p.m. Central
Frank Erwin Center (16,755) · Austin, Texas
GAME DAY QUICK FACTS
TELEVISION: None.
RADIO: KVET (1300 AM Sportsradio The Zone) will broadcast Thursday's game between Texas and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. 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 on free 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, 4-0. Last meeting: Texas 81-41 (Dec. 8, 2007; Corpus Christi, Texas)
Notables
Three wins in three days ... Texas started the 2008-09 season with back-to-back-to-back wins at the World Vision Classic. UT defeated Dayton, 66-40, in the season opener before toppling Saint Mary's, 110-76, and downing No. 25/20 Old Dominion, 78-44.
Raven leading the charge ... Junior guard Brittainey Raven scored Texas' first 12 points in its victory over No. 25/20 Old Dominion on Monday night. In addition to leading the Longhorns with an average of 15.7 points per game, Raven was tabbed the World Vision Classic MVP for her three-day performance.
Last time outBrittainey Raven scored Texas' first 12 points and finished with 20 and the No. 13 Longhorns routed No. 25 Old Dominion 78-44 on Monday night to win the World Vision Classic.
Kathleen Nash finished with 15 points and had eight rebounds for Texas (3-0). She scored on a layup midway through the first half to tie the game 20-20. Nash was fouled during the shot, and made the free throw to complete the three-point play, and give the Longhorns their first lead of the game.
A check of the polls
UT was ranked No. 14 in The Associated Press (Nov. 17) and ESPN/USA Today (Nov. 18) polls. Despite a 2-0 record, the Longhorns fell one spot from their preseason ranking of No. 13 in both polls. After handing No. 25/25 Old Dominion a 78-44 loss on Monday,Texas will face three more teams that are currently ranked in both polls throughout the pre-conference season: Tennessee (Dec. 14), Arizona State (Dec. 18) and Purdue (Jan. 5).
Doubling the opponent
Through the first three games of the 2008-09 season, the Longhorns have more than doubled their opponents in assists. Texas has recorded 62 assists to its opponents' 28, with senior guard Carla Cortijo dishing out 25. In UT's 110-76 win over Saint Mary's, Cortijo collected 12 assists, which was just one shy of her career-high 13 assists.
3-0 out of the gate
Texas has now started off the season a perfect 3-0 15 times in its 35-year history. The Longhorns first accomplished the feat in its opening season, 1974-75, and last went 3-0 out of the gate in the 2006-07 season.
Horns display depth early on
Texas displayed its depth in the opening game of the 2008-09 season, as its' bench outscored Dayton 37-8. Through three games, the Horns have outscored their opponents' bench 116-68.
Three named to World Vision Classic All-Tournament Team
In addition to winning three games in three days at last weekend's World Vision Classic in Austin, a trio of Longhorns earned all-tournament team honors. After scoring UT's first 12 points in its 78-44 win over Old Dominion and averaging 15.7 points per game in three contests, junior guard Brittainey Raven was named World Vision Classic MVP. Senior forward Earnesia Williams and senior guard Carla Cortijo rounded out the trio of Horns earning all-tournament team honors.
Three players combine for 61 points
Erika Arriaran (21 points), Brittainey Raven (20) and Kathleen Nash (20) combined for 61 points in Texas' 110-76 win over Saint Mary's. The win marked the first time three or more players each scored 20+ points for Texas since Jan. 21, 1984, when Texas defeated Baylor, 96-51, in Austin. In that game, Andrea Lloyd (23), Annette Smith (29) and Cara Pridy (20) combined for 72 points.
No sophomore slump here
Guard Kathleen Nash is far from suffering a sophomore slump through her first three games of the 2008-09 season. Nash netted a career-high 20 points in Texas' 110-76 win over Saint Mary's and is averaging 14.0 points per game, which is second on the team to Brittainey Raven's 15.7 ppg. Nash has also continued her stellar performance from the charity stripe, going 10-of-11 (.909) from the line this year and 70-of-82 (.854) in her Longhorn career. Additionally, after missing her first free throw of the year, Nash has connected on 10 straight attempts.
Arriaran returns to action
Junior guard Erika Arriaran is back in action for the Longhorns after a nearly two-year absence from the court. Through three games, Arriaran ranks third on the team in scoring with 37 points (12.3 ppg) and is 5-for-13 (.385) from beyond the arc. Arriaran suffered a left knee ACL tear with 31 second left in UT's Jan. 7, 2007 upset win over then-No. 10 Purdue, only to re-injure the same knee before the 2007-08 season began. Arriaran underwent arthroscopic surgeries in February and November of 2007.
