Dec. 4, 2009
Complete game notes
#17/17 TEXAS (5-2) vs. #6/5 Tennessee (6-0)
Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009 • 6 p.m. Central
Thompson-Boling Assembly Center and Arena (21,678) • Knoxville, Tenn.
GAME DAY QUICK FACTS
TELEVISION: The game will be televised nationally by ESPN2 (Time Warner Cable Ch. 53 in Austin). Jon Sciambi (pxp) and Kara Lawson (analyst) will call the action.
RADIO: KVET-AM 1300 “The Zone” will broadcast Sunday’s game between Texas and Tennessee immediately following the conclusion of the NFL game between the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants (approximately 6:30 p.m. CT). Craig Way (pxp) and Carol Ross (analyst) will call the action. Click here for live streaming beginning at 5:45 p.m. CT.
SERIES: Tennessee leads, 18-12. Last meeting: Texas 73-59 (Dec. 14, 2008; Austin, Texas)
NOTABLES
• BEYOND THE ARC ... Texas is 5-0 this season when out-shooting its opponent from 3-point range. The Longhorns are averaging 6.1 3FG per game. UT recorded 12 3-pointers against Oral Roberts (Dec. 1), including a career-high seven treys by senior guard Erika Arriaran.
• KAT UNLEASHED ... Junior guard Kathleen Nash is leading UT in four categories through seven games. Nash is leading Texas’ scoring effort with 14.6 ppg, is pulling down a team-best 7.0 rpg, playing an average of 30.7 mpg and shooting 51.7 percent from 3-point range (15-of-29).
• CHECKING THE POLLS ... Texas is ranked No. 17 in the most current Associated Press (Nov. 30) and ESPN/USA Today Coaches (Dec. 1) Polls. The Horns are the highest ranked two-loss team, coming in ahead of No. 18 Oklahoma (4-2), No. 20 California (3-2), No. 22 Michigan State (4-2) and No. 24 Kansas (3-2).
• ABOUT THOSE PINK HATS ... Texas head coach Gail Goestenkors and Tennessee head coach Pat Summitt will sport pink cowboy hats in Sunday’s game as part of a $10,000 winning bid from the Second Annual Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund 4Kay Golf Classic.
SERIES VS. TENNESSEE
Sunday’s contest marks the 31st meeting between Texas and Tennessee. Tennessee leads the all-time series 18-12. The series first began with an 84-60 Texas loss on Dec. 8, 1978, at a neutral site in the Mid-America Invitational. After that, the Longhorns went on to win seven of the next eight contests before the Lady Vols won the next 13 games. Over the last eight match ups, Texas leads 5-3, with four-straight wins in 2002 (Feb. 12 and Dec. 21), 2003 (Dec. 28) and 2004 (Nov. 25). Texas fell 92-67 in Knoxville on Nov. 18, 2007, during head coach Gail Goestenkors’ first year at UT. The Horns won last year’s contest in Austin, 73-59.
FLASHBACK: VS. TENNESSEE (DEC. 14, 2008)
Brittainey Raven scored 21 points and No. 6 Texas (9-0) continued its best start in 20 years with a 73-59 win over No. 7 Tennessee on Dec. 14. Kathleen Nash added 12 points for the Longhorns, who were 9-0 for the first time since the 1987-88 season. Raven and Nash made two key 3-pointers in a 10-1 run midway through the second half that broke open a tough game and sent the Longhorns to a win over the highest-ranked opponent in coach Gail Goestenkors’ two seasons (prior to defeating No. 4 Baylor in Waco on Feb. 1, 2009, 58-55).
A CHECK OF THE POLLS
Texas is ranked No. 17 in the latest Associated Press poll (Nov. 30) and No. 17 in the latest ESPN/USA Today poll (Dec. 1). UT faced its first of seven opponents in the regular season that are ranked in the current polls in No. 1/1 Connecticut (L, 58-83) on Nov. 13 in San Antonio, and followed with a victory over then-No. 19/22 Mississippi State (73-55) on Nov. 26. The Horns’ other contests against the Top 25 include No. 6/5 Tennessee (Dec. 6 in Knoxville), No. 8/8 Baylor (Jan. 31 in Austin, March 7 in Waco), No. 10/7 Texas A&M (Jan. 9 in Austin, Feb. 20 in College Station), No. 24/rv Kansas (Feb. 13 in Lawrence) and No. 18/18 Oklahoma (Feb. 3 in Norman, Feb. 27 in Austin).
LAST TIME OUT: ORAL ROBERTS (DEC. 1)
Erika Arriaran made seven 3-pointers and scored a career-high 23 points, helping No. 17 Texas shake off a rocky first half to beat Oral Roberts 94-80 on Dec. 1. Arriaran set a career best for 3s and grabbed four rebounds. Brittainey Raven added a season-high 16 points, and Kat Nash finished with 19 points and nine rebounds for the Longhorns (5-2). In the first six minutes of the second half, Arriaran made three 3-pointers. Her long-range shooting combined with stingy Texas defense keyed a 22-11 run that gave the Longhorns their biggest lead, 60-49.
EXPLAIN THE PINK COWBOY HATS, PLEASE
During the Second Annual Kay Yow/WBCA Cancer Fund 4Kay Golf Classic, Tennessee head coach Pat Summitt stepped up to volunteer her pink sparkly cowboy hat for an impromptu live auction item, complete with an autograph to the winning bidder. After the bidding exceeded $1,000, Summitt stepped in and offered $2,000, on the condition that Texas assistant Mickie DeMoss wear the hat during a 2009-10 regular season game. Virginia Tech head coach Beth Dunkenberger volunteered to increase the bid if Texas head coach Gail Goestenkors would wear the hat to coach a televised game. Further negotiations and generosity from the assembled coaches led to a total $10,000 contribution, and Goestenkors and Summitt agreeing to each wear a similar hat to coach their December 6 ESPN2 televised match-up in Knoxville, Tenn., in continued public support of the Fund.
GOESTENKORS VS. SUMMITT
Sunday’s meeting between Texas and Tennessee will mark the 12th head-to-head contest between third-year Texas head coach Gail Goestenkors and Pat Summitt. Goestenkors leads the series 6-5, with four of her victories coming in the last five meetings.
VERY BALANCED
Texas is averaging 73.7 points per game with eight of its 10 players accounting for three or more points per contest. Six of the 10 on the squad are posting 6.1 or more points per game. The same is true of the rebounding category, as eight of the 10 are corralling 3.0 or more boards per outing.
HITTING THE BOARDS
Texas has outrebounded four of its last five opponents, after getting beaten on the boards by 11 against No. 1 UConn (36-47). Texas enters Sunday’s game against Tennessee with a +4.1 rebounding margin. Junior guard Kathleen Nash is UT’s leading rebounder with 7.3 boards per game, while sophomore post Ashley Gayle is pulling down 6.1 rpg.
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
After facing top-ranked UConn in the second game of the season and No. 19 Mississippi State in the fourth, Texas is expected to face five more opponents ranked in the AP Top 25 during 2009-10. During its non-conference schedule, the Horns will face the Lady Vols in addition to the Huskies and Lady Bulldogs. Here’s a look at this season’s results (ranking at time of game):
Nov. 17 vs. #1 UConn - L, 58-83
Nov. 26 vs. #19 Mississippi St. - W, 73-55
NASH BETTER BY THE YEAR
Guard Kathleen Nash has consistently improved her scoring and rebounding averages during her career at UT, and her junior year is no exception. Through seven games, Nash is leading the Horns in scoring (14.6 ppg) and rebounding (7.3 rpg), all while besting her previous season stats on the Forty Acres.
RAVEN CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Singing karaoke is one of senior guard Brittainey Raven’s favorite hobbies, but she isn’t climbing the musical charts just yet. Instead, she’s climbing Texas’ all-time leading scorer chart after becoming the 33rd player in school history to surpass the 1,000-point mark last season. Raven currently ranks 19th with 1,309 career points.
STREAKIN’
Senior guard Brittainey Raven’s streak of 16-consecutive free throws ended on against Mississippi State (Nov. 26) in her final attempt. Entering the game against the Lady Bulldogs, Raven had been 4-of-4 against North Texas (Nov. 20) and 4-of-4 against Connecticut (Nov. 17). Her streak began when she made her final two attempts against UTSA on Nov. 13. Through seven games, Raven is hitting a team-high 78.1 percent (25-of-32) from the line. Additionally, Raven has scored in double figures in 12-straight games dating back to March 4, 2009.
POWER IN THE POST POSITION
With a pair of 6-4 posts in sophomore Ashley Gayle and freshman Cokie Reed, UT’s frontcourt is proving to be a serious threat to opponents’ offensive attacks. Together, the duo is averaging 11.1 rpg (Gayle - 6.1, Reed - 5.0), and have accounted for 30 of Texas’ 44 blocks (Gayle - 20, Reed - 10).
