The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
5-2
UT-Arlington
3-2
No. 24 Women's Basketball wins third in a row, defeats UT Arlington 76-60
11.29.2007 | Women's Basketball
Texas won its third game in a row to improve to 5-2 overall while limiting UT Arlington (3-2) to 32.3 percent shooting for the game, which included a 23 percent shooting effort in the second half. The Mavs snapped a two-game win streak while hitting 20 of 62 attempted field goals.
For the first time this season, all Texas players scored in the game. Rounding out the double-figure scorers were junior post Ashley Lindsey with 14 points, redshirt sophomore guard Carla Cortijo (12), redshirt sophomore forward Earnesia Williams (11) and senior guard Erneisha Bailey (10). Williams also pulled down a career-best eight rebounds, while Cortijo had a game-best seven assists, which also tied her season high.
Texas turned the ball over 15 times, tying its season low, while UTA committed 17 turnovers. The Longhorns dominated in points in the paint, outscoring the Mavs 36-24 down low and also held a 20-12 advantage in second-chance points.
Texas never trailed in the game after the 4:55 mark in the first half, when UTA took its only lead, 26-25, on junior forward Erin Dixon's layup. UT missed its next three shots and had a turnover as the Mavs pushed the lead to 28-25 on another Dixon layup and Tamara Simmons free throw with 3:44 to go.
Texas then ripped off 10 unanswered points to take a 35-28 lead into intermission. The 10-0 run was sparked by back-to-back three-pointers by Williams and Bailey in the final 31 seconds.
UTA shot 48 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes, while UT struggled, hitting 30 percent of its shots (13-43).
The Longhorns came out strong to start the second half, pushing their lead to 17 points, 47-30, with 16:43 to play on a Raven jumper. The Longhorns' 12-2 run to start the final period was led by Lindsey, who scored six points and had three blocks and two rebounds in that run over the first 3:17 of the period.
The Mavs could never get to within single digits of the Longhorns the rest of the way. The closest UTA came was 11 points, 55-44 with 10:58 to go on two free throws by Kristina Grace. UT responded with a 7-0 run, capped by a Kristen Nash layup for a 62-44 advantage with nine minutes to go.
Texas shot 41 percent for the game, hitting 30 of 73 shots. For the seventh game in a row, Texas held the edge on the boards, out-rebounding UTA 50-46.
The Mavericks were led by freshman guard Simmons' 11 points, while senior guard Maryann Abanobi added 10 points and Dixon pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds.
Texas returns to action on Sunday, Dec. 2, hosting Sam Houston State in a 2 p.m. Central game at the Frank Erwin Center.
POSTGAME QUOTES
UT ARLINGTON HEAD COACH SAMANTHA MORROW
General statement: They were a lot more aggressive defensively in the second half, and they denied a lot of stuff to our wings. Obviously when we go back and watch film, we'll show our players what we can do to better prepare ourselves for this kind of pressure.
On making adjustments in the second half: It seemed like Texas went inside early on in the second half and we didn't adjust to that well. They were able to score easily and they hit some shots that they didn't get in the first half.
On letting Texas hit two 3-pointers before the end of the first half: That really swung the momentum in their favor going into the locker room, and it put a dagger in our defense. Really, up to that point, we felt like we didn't give them any open looks, so those two shots hurt us.
TEXAS HEAD COACH Gail Goestenkors
General statement: I give UTA a lot of credit. I think they are relentless and they have a lot of confidence. They've been in the NCAA Tournament for two of the last three years and anytime you go to the tournament that often, you gain a lot of confidence and you believe you can play with anybody. I think they did a tremendous job in the first half and I thought that we still had a bit of jet lag because our defense wasn't good and UTA took advantage of it. They penetrated on us all through the first half. I think we did a better job in the second half on limiting their penetration and we had better rotation on defense. Overall, we are going to learn a lot from this game and get better with our defense overall.
On redshirt sophomores Crystal Boyd and Kristen Nash and their play tonight: We are so happy that Crystal is back in the lineup. She's not played in a game since last December due to her foot injuries. We knew that she is still on some limitations, so we only played her 10 minutes. I thought she did a good job. Before the game, she was very anxious and excited, but overall she did a very nice job for us. She had a couple of really nice skip passes for wide-open shots for her teammates. Kristen hasn't played in a couple of games and we had a talk yesterday. She asked me what she needed to do to get on the floor, and I told her to keep working hard, stay positive and rebound and just take care of the ball. I think she did a good job in all those areas tonight.
JUNIOR GUARD Crystal Boyd
On being able to play again, following three foot surgeries for fractures since last December: It feels really good to be out there. I haven't been out there in a long time. It's been really hard trying to stay positive since last December. It's been a rollercoaster because I've had my good days and my bad ones, but today was definitely a good day. I really had some tough moments in the last year battling through the injuries and the rehab.
On the lowest point of her rollercoaster ride: I would have to say when I got to come back and play a couple of games last season, and then injuring myself again after I had finally gotten back into a groove. I thought I was going to have a good game that game [on Dec. 30 against San Diego], and then I scored on a jump shot, came down after the shot, and broke my foot again. That was a real heartbreaker because I had finally gotten back into the groove. But my coaches, teammates and training staff really helped me stay positive. I want to thank everyone for their help.
JUNIIOR FORWARD Earnesia Williams
On Crystal Boyd playing again: I was surprised when I looked up at the horn sounding -- I was in the game and saw Crystal come in and I was happy for her. She got in there and did some good things. She can really help us and I'm excited that she is back.
SENIIOR GUARD Erneisha Bailey
On the halftime adjustments: At half time, Coach G (Goestenkors) got on us about the penetration that UTA was allowed to do. We knew we had to stop getting beat so much. The way we played at the end of the first half motivated us to get things going early in the second half. That was the way we should've come out at the beginning of the game, we just did it a little late.
On Crystal Boyd coming back: Crystal and I got really close over the summer, so I have been really excited waiting for her to get healthy and finally be able to play with me my senior year. I'm always the one in her ear during practice making sure that she is in the right place and that she doesn't get beat. I know the kind of player she can be and I just want her to reach her full potential while I am here and able to play with her. I want to have an opportunity to go through some of the highs with her and not some of the lows, because, honestly, I am tired of keeping her positive! Getting back on the court has been her long-time goal. Cry is strong and athletic, and can really shoot. We need her in the lineup.
