The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
11-4, 0-1
Texas A&M
13-1, 1-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas A&M | 44 | 47 | 91 |
| Texas | 19 | 51 | 70 |
No. 15 Women's Basketball falls to No. 10 Texas A&M, 91-70, in State Farm Lone Star Showdown
01.09.2010 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 9, 2010
Box Score 
| Box Score | 
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Go back 35 years in the record book and the numbers say Texas has dominated Texas A&M.
But wait. Check out the last five years and it's clear the Aggies have turned the rivalry on its head--in a big, big way.
Tanisha Smith scored 28 points and No. 10 Texas A&M downed No. 15 Texas 91-70 on Saturday night in the Big 12 opener for both teams.
The Longhorns still own a 58-18 lead in the series, but the Aggies have won six in a row over their big rivals and eight of the last nine.
Texas A&M (13-1) had five players score in double figures, opened up a 44-19 halftime lead and stretched it as high as 30 points midway through the second half.
"We've still got a lot of work to do," Texas A&M coach Gary Blair said when asked about the turn in the rivalry. "We were dead at the bottom when we started."
Considering how close the teams are in the rankings, the Longhorns (11-4) seemed stunned by Texas A&M's speed and athleticism at nearly every position.
Texas A&M guards Smith, Sydney Colson and Tyra White routinely slashed to the basket, leaving defenders twisting to catch up or standing flat footed in the lane. When they weren't driving for baskets, they were kicking the ball out for 3-pointers.
"I think (Smith) is the best unknown player in the country right now," Blair said.
Adaora Elonu scored Texas A&M's first eight points. The Aggies shot 54 percent for the game.
"We allowed them to set the tempo and that put us in a panic mode," Texas senior guard Erika Arriaran said. "That team is very aggressive."
Nothing Texas did could slow it down.
While the Aggies were shooting 58 percent in the first half, Texas committed 15 turnovers--10 in the first 10 minutes--that Texas A&M turned into 18 points.
"It started with our defense," Smith said. "That's the game we like to play."
Texas tried to disrupt the Aggies by going to a full-court press, but even that just created more chances for the Aggies to blow past defenders on the dribble and the lead continued to grow.
Defensively Texas A&M shut down Kathleen Nash, Texas' best perimeter shooter and one of the best 3-point shooters in the country. Nash scored just six points on 1-of-7 shooting and missed all four 3-pointers.
At the start of the second, Colson dribbled into the lane while three Texas defenders stood and watched her go by. When Danielle Adams converted a three-point play with 13:21 to play, Texas A&M led 61-31.
A 15-1 Texas run cut the deficit to 19 when Nash finished a fast break with a layup.
That was about all Texas could muster. A 3-pointer by Adams put the Aggies up 78-56, shutting down any realistic chance of a Longhorns rally.
"I felt like we would come back sooner and a little bit more than we did," Texas coach Gail Goestenkors said. "I kept waiting for it. It was too little too late."
TEXAS QUOTES
HEAD COACH Gail Goestenkors
Opening statement: I was very disappointed overall. Congratulations though to Texas A&M, I thought they played really one of the best games of the year. I've seen a lot of tape on them, and this was one of their better games. They're a good team. They have real nice inside outside plays, they have contributions from everybody, and you can't really try to shut down one player. They got us back on our heels and they took advantage of it, so I think they beat us in every phase of the game. They shot a great percentage and just got great contributions from everybody. It was a tough game for us, but we know that we'll learn and grow from this.
On the comparison to last year's game: The last time we played A&M here a year ago, we had the exact same start. I just thought, not again. I was really disappointed that we were doing the same thing we did a year ago. I felt like we would come back a little bit sooner and a little bit more than we did. Once we were able to adjust to their physical play and athleticism, I thought we would make a run of our own, but I just kept waiting for it to happen.
On improvements: I saw some good things that we need to build upon. I thought Ashley Gayle did a nice job, she battled. I thought Earnesia Williams battled. I thought Lauren Flores did some good things for being a freshman in this situation. Erika [Arriaran] looked very aggressive offensively. A lot of our shooters were hesitating, and she who hesitates is lost. You can't hesitate in a game like this.
SENIOR GUARD Erika Arriaran
On performance in the second half: Once that second half came I knew that as a point guard I have to take control and I have to help contribute in different ways. Once I trusted what my coaches were saying, the c-screen that we were running really started to work and it got us lots of good looks.
On the impact of the loss: We lost one at home, so we need to take one on the road. Nobody likes to lose, but we learned a lot from it, and we need to move on. We can't look back. We have to play the first half like we did the second half. It's not okay, but we can't keep dwelling on it. We have to move on.
SOPHOMORE POST Ashley Gayle
On Texas A&M: They definitely have a talented team. Their guards are really talented and aggressive, and their posts feed off of their guards. All together, they played really well, and you can just tell that they feed off of each other. When you have five players that are in-tune, it puts us on our heels.
TEXAS A&M QUOTES
HEAD COACH GARY BLAIR
Opening statement: We wanted to push it tonight. Even though our press is not what it used to be, our half court defense is just as good. We went at the fast pace because it gives us confidence, particularly [Sydney] Colson. When Colson feels good about herself, the rest of us feel good. The pace had everything to do with it.
On Erika Arriaran: That's the best she's played against us in her years. I thought she really showed senior leadership and showed what a great player she is.
SENIOR GUARD TANISHA SMITH
On the team's performance tonight: Early, it started with our defense. Adaora Elonu came in and hit the first ten points. That is what got us going. It helped the fast pace, and that's the game we like to play.
POST-GAME NOTES
TEAM
-Texas holds a 58-18 advantage in the all-time series against Texas A&M.
-Texas is 8-6 all-time in Big 12 Conference openers and 11-3 all-time in league home openers.
-Texas used a 15-1 scoring run that spanned 2 minutes, 54 seconds (12:57-10:03) to come within 18 points, 64-46.
-UT's 25-point halftime deficit was its largest of the season, 44-19.
-The Horns made a season-high 30 free throws on a season-high 43 attempts
-Four Texas players scored in double-figures for the seventh time this season ... now 6-1 when accomplishing the feat.
Erika Arriaran
-Scored 14 points (5-of-16 FG, 1-of-6 3FG, 4-of-4 FT) for her second-straight double-digit scoring effort and her sixth of the season.
-Scored 10 or more points for the 46th time of her career.
-Led the Longhorns in scoring for the second time this season and the 17th time of her career.
-Was perfect from the free throw line (3-of-3) to move her season total to 5-of-5 (1.000 percent)
-Is currently the Longhorns' all-time leader in best FT percentage (.879, 80-of-91).
Ashley Gayle
-Posted fourth double-double of the season with 10 points (4-of-6 FG, 2-of-8 FT) and 10 rebounds
-Scored 10 or more points for the second straight game and the sixth time this season.
-Scored 10 or more points for the sixth time of her career.
-Recorded 10 or more rebounds for the fourth time of the season and of her career.
-Led the Longhorns in rebounding for the fifth time this season and the 17th time of her career.
-Posted six blocks to give her 109 on her career, moving her into 10th place on UT's career blocks list.
-Gayle now has 49 blocks on the season, just eight blocks shy of third place on UT's sophomore blocks list.
-Recorded six blocks or more blocks for the third time this season.
-Six blocks tie for the second most by a Longhorn in Big 12 Conference games.
Lauren Flores
-Was perfect from the free throw line (4-of-4) for the third time this season...four attempts and four made are also career highs.
Ashleigh Fontenette
-Scored 11 (4-of-7 FG, 1-of-1 3FG, 2-of-2 3FG) points for her sixth double-digit scoring effort of the season
-Scored 10 or more points for the 15th time of her career.
Brittainey Raven
-Scored 11 points (2-of-8 FG, 1-of-2 3FG, 6-of-8 FT) for her 13th double-digit scoring effort of the season.
-Scored 10 or more points for the 77th time in 115 career games.
