The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
12-1
Lamar
8-4
No. 4/4 Women's Basketball downs Lamar, 82-45
01.03.2009 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 3, 2009
Box Score 
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Brittainey Raven helped No. 4 Texas bounce back from its first loss of the season.
She scored 17 points to help the Longhorns came back strong Saturday, cruising past Lamar 82-45 following a loss earlier in the week to San Diego State.
Texas (12-1) was more balanced on offense and dominated the boards, outrebounding an overmatched Lamar team 36-18.
"We definitely have refocused and recommitted, and I think we saw that if you let a team hang around, they are dangerous and they can come back and beat you," coach Gail Goestenkors said. "I don't know if that was a good loss, but we learned some tough lessons through that loss."
Erika Arriaran finished with 13 points and five rebounds, Earnesia Williams had 12 points, and Kathleen Nash added 11 points and four rebounds for the Longhorns.
Arriaran hit three 3-pointers in a two-minute span in the second half to give the Longhorns a 30-point lead.
"For the past couple of games, it's been hard for me to get into a rhythm," Arriaran said. "Coach told me at halftime to quit thinking so much and to catch and shoot. I just needed to relax and let it go."
Goestenkors said Arriaran's shooting opens up scoring chances for her teammates.
"Even if Erika doesn't hit the three for us, she still changes the game for us because it automatically spreads out the defense," Goestenkors said. "Obviously, we'd much rather her make it, but whether she hits it or not, it makes us better."
Brittney Williams led the Lady Cardinals (8-4) with 14 points and four rebounds.
Texas dominated the game from the tipoff, jumping out to a quick 6-0 lead. Raven's 3-pointer with eight minutes remaining in the first half put the Longhorns up by 10.
The Longhorns scored 16 points off 11 first-half turnovers by the Cardinals. They also outscored Lamar 18-10 in the paint.
Nash and Raven combined for 10 points in the first seven minutes after the break, and Texas took control with a 33-13 run in the first 10 minutes of the second half.
"In the loss to San Diego State, we didn't have as many players scoring in double figures," Raven said. "We usually have a lot of players scoring, and we didn't have that in that game. Today, coming into the game, we knew we had to get back to the way we were playing."
POSTGAME NOTES
TEAM
- Texas continues to ride its best start since the 1985-86, improving to 12-1 on the season.
- Texas improved to 6-2 all-time against Lamar.
- Texas improved to 19-3 (.864) at home under Gail Goestenkors.
- Texas improved to 401-68 all-time in the Frank Erwin Center.
- UT has now won nine consecutive games at home, a streak that dates back to its 70-55 win over Texas Tech on March 5, 2008.
- The Longhorns shot 80 percent or better from the free-throw line for the fourth straight game on 16-of-19 (.842).
- Texas also shot 40 percent or better from the field for the fourth straight game (29-of-51, .569).
- UT held its largest lead at the 9:21 mark in the second half with a 27-point margin.
- Four Longhorns scored in double-digits (Brittainey Raven - 17; Erika Arriaran - 13; Earnesia Williams - 12; Kathleen Nash - 11) for the seventh time this season.
Kathleen Nash
- Posted 11 points for her 11th double-digit scoring effort of the season and the 22nd of her career.
- Ended her streak of 26 straight free throws made...finished the game 1-of-2 from the line.
Carla Cortijo
- Dished out a team-high seven assists pushing her career total to 407, good for eighth place in the UT career record book.
Brittainey Raven
- Tallied 17 points (6-of-12 FG, 2-of-4 3FG, 3-of-4 FT) for her highest scoring output since 21 against Tennessee (Dec. 14).
- Reached double-digit scoring for the ninth time this season and the 52nd time of her career.
Erika Arriaran
- Scored 13 points (5-of-8 FG, 3-of-5 3FG) for her highest scoring effort since 14 points at Ole Miss (Dec. 7)...tied season-high with three 3-pointers...shot season-high 62.5 percent from the field.
- Reached double-digits for the seventh time this season and 34th time of her career.
Earnesia Williams
- Posted season-high 12 points...was perfect from the field (4-of-4) and free throw line (4-of-4).
TEXAS QUOTES
HEAD COACH Gail Goestenkors
Opening statement: I'm just really pleased to come away with a win. Coming off that tough loss to San Diego State, I thought we've had some really good practices and we've really recommitted ourselves as individuals and as a team. We're beginning to lock down for the Big 12. This was a good win for us. I thought we got great contributions from everybody, from all the starters and the bench as well. They were focused. We did a really good job sharing the ball as well. I thought this was a good and much needed win for us.
On what they learned from the loss to San Diego State: We broke down the video and we needed to take care of the basketball and rebounding. That's just really about heart and hustle. Those were the two areas of emphasis for us over the past few practices.
On if the loss was a good loss for the team: I think any loss is a bad loss in my mind, but we have definitely refocused and recommitted. I think we saw that if you let a team hang around, they are dangerous and they can come back and beat you. I don't know if that was a good loss, but we learned some tough lessons through that loss.
SENIOR GUARD Carla Cortijo
On bouncing back from their first loss: You just have to move on. You have to learn from it and then just move on. Coming into this game, I felt like I had to take care of the ball more and try to be more aggressive with it. If I'm going to make a pass, I have to make sure that I can make it and not turn the ball over.
On the importance of having Erika Arriaran back: Erika is a great three-point shooter and I am always looking for her. Having her back is a relief because I don't have to take the responsibility to score, because I have so many people on the court that can score.
JUNIOR GUARD Erika Arriaran
On breaking out of her slump: For the past couple of games, it's been hard for me to get into a rhythm. I think a lot of it is mental. If you don't hit one, you start thinking about it too much. Coach told me at halftime to quit thinking so much and just to catch-and-shoot the ball.
On catching and shooting the ball: Because I was thinking too much, I started dribbling too much and not doing the certain things on the plays. We practice catching and shooting a lot in practice, and I needed to get back into that rhythm.
JUNIOR GUARD Brittainey Raven
On getting over their first loss: In the loss to San Diego State, we didn't have as many players scoring in double figures. We usually have a lot of players scoring and we didn't have that in that game. Today, coming into the game, we knew we had to get back to how we were playing. We just had to protect the basketball.
On comparing this year to last year: It's obvious that we are a lot better this year than we were last year. We want to win a championship this year and that's the only thing on our minds.
