The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Wednesday, November 13
Austin, Texas
7 p.m.
University of Texas
2-0
96
vs
42
Texas State
1-1
1
2
F
Texas State
28
14
42
Texas
48
48
96
Women's Basketball defeats Texas State, 96-42
11.13.2013 | Women's Basketball
Nneka Enemkpali registers 22 points and 17 rebounds in UT's 54-point victory.
AUSTIN, Texas -- The University of Texas Women's Basketball team improved to 2-0 following a 96-42 victory over Texas State on Wednesday evening at the Frank Erwin Center. The 54-point win was the largest for the Longhorns since a 112-53 win over Northwestern State on Nov. 16, 2010. Texas controlled the interior early and often, racking up 58 rebounds and 46 points in the paint.
Junior forward Nneka Enemkpali recorded her 14th career double-double, leading all players with 22 points and 17 rebounds. Sophomore guard Celina Rodrigo came off the bench and scored a career-high 15 points, including 3-of-4 behind the arc. Four different Longhorns scored at least 14 points to lead the balanced attack.
Texas State (1-1) guard Kaylan Martin led the Bobcats with 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting.
Texas State took an early lead at 3-2 until Texas took control of the half. The Longhorns crafted a 14-4 run over a 3:53 stretch, distributing baskets among Enemkpali, senior guard Chassidy Fussell, junior guard Krystle Henderson and sophomore guard Empress Davenport. The Longhorns continued to increase their lead over the next seven minutes, completing a 17-7 run to lead 33-19. During the stretch, Rodrigo scored seven points with two layups and a three-pointer.
Rodrigo finished the half with 12 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting, including two three-pointers. UT controlled the paint throughout the first half, out-rebounding the Bobcats 26-12, including nine offensive rebounds and 22 points in the paint. After shooting a season-best 52.9 percent from the field in the opening half, Texas took a 48-28 lead going into the locker room.
The Longhorns' continued their hot shooting in the second half, starting a perfect 4-of-4 from the floor. With just over 11 minutes to play in the game, Imani McGee-Stafford completed back-to-back 3-point plays to give the Longhorns a 74-38 advantage. Enemkpali would score the next four points to stretch the lead to 40 points. Texas finished off the Bobcats 96-42 for the victory.
Texas travels to Albuquerque, N.M. to take on New Mexico next Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 8 p.m. Central.
POSTGAME NOTES
Texas State took an early lead at 3-2 until Texas took control of the half. The Longhorns crafted a 14-4 run over a 3:53 stretch, distributing baskets among Enemkpali, senior guard Chassidy Fussell, junior guard Krystle Henderson and sophomore guard Empress Davenport. The Longhorns continued to increase their lead over the next seven minutes, completing a 17-7 run to lead 33-19. During the stretch, Rodrigo scored seven points with two layups and a three-pointer.
Rodrigo finished the half with 12 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting, including two three-pointers. UT controlled the paint throughout the first half, out-rebounding the Bobcats 26-12, including nine offensive rebounds and 22 points in the paint. After shooting a season-best 52.9 percent from the field in the opening half, Texas took a 48-28 lead going into the locker room.
The Longhorns' continued their hot shooting in the second half, starting a perfect 4-of-4 from the floor. With just over 11 minutes to play in the game, Imani McGee-Stafford completed back-to-back 3-point plays to give the Longhorns a 74-38 advantage. Enemkpali would score the next four points to stretch the lead to 40 points. Texas finished off the Bobcats 96-42 for the victory.
Texas travels to Albuquerque, N.M. to take on New Mexico next Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 8 p.m. Central.
POSTGAME NOTES
• Series: Wednesday's game marked the 29th meeting between Texas and Texas State. Texas leads the series 24-5 and has won the last 19 meetings.
• Texas shot 42.1 percent from 3-point and 48.6 percent from the field compared to Texas State's 16.7 percent from 3-point land and 22.8 percent from the field.
• Texas started the game hot, outscoring Texas State by 20 in the first half. Texas scored 22 points in the paint compared to Texas State's 4, and Texas' bench outscored Texas State's bench 20-5.
• Texas crushed the Bobcats on the boards, outrebounding Texas State 27-58.
• Texas had four players in double figures: Enemkpali (22), McGee-Stafford (15), Rodrigo (15) and Fussell (14).
• Texas 96-42 win over Texas State was the largest margin of victory for the Longhorns since Nov. 16, 2010 when the Horns defeated Northwestern State, 112-53.
• The Longhorns' outscored Texas State in points in paint (46 to 10), points off turnovers (24 to 12), second-chance points (23-2), fast-break points (12 to 2) and bench points (35-11).
• Lone Star State success: the Horns have posted a 416-97 (.811) record against current NCAA Division I in-state foes in the program's history and is 24-5 against Texas State.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
Chassidy Fussell
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
Chassidy Fussell
• Posted a solid all-around game with 14 points, seven boards and five assists.
Imani McGee-Stafford
Imani McGee-Stafford
• Recorded her 18th career 10-plus point performance with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting to go along with six rebounds.
Celina Rodrigo
Celina Rodrigo
• Came off the bench to score a career-high 15 points on 6-9 shooting in 22 minutes of play. Her previous career-high of 10 came on Feb. 6, 2013 against Iowa State on 5-of-6 shooting.
• Rodrigo's 3 made 3-pointers in a single game are also a career-high, crushing her previous high of one.
Nneka Enemkpali
Nneka Enemkpali
• Recorded her 14th career double-double with 22 points and 17 rebounds. Her 14th career double-double is tied for most by a current Longhorn.
• Her 22 points marks her 6th career 20-point performance (last 20 point-performance was against Kansas State, Jan. 26, 2013).
Krystle Henderson
Krystle Henderson
• Dished out a career-high eight assists in 27 minutes of play. Her previous career-high of six came against Northwestern State on Nov. 12, 2011.
Quotes
Head Coach Karen Aston
Opening Statement: I thought that this was a more complete game for our team than the previous games that we've had, including the exhibition and closed scrimmages and all of those things. I just thought this was a better effort from our team. I thought we seemed better connected with each other, a little calmer on offense and definitely rebounded the ball a lot better. It was a better effort and more consistent on our part.
On expecting more from Celina Rodrigo: I think Celina put a lot of work in in the spring and summer, and she was rewarded with that today. I also think her resilience showed today because she was very disappointed in her last performance and learning lessons is tough sometimes. Last year, she got thrown into the fire and was never really able to evaluate and make corrections for herself because everything was just going so fast for her. She was able to look at the last game we played and say, 'OK, I need to do better than that.' She's put the time in that should have been and responded terrifically tonight.
On if her disciplining Celina Rodrigo is too hard: Probably so. Probably so. I'm pretty hard on point guards, and she knew that about me. She knew what I expected of point guards, and what I try to tell them is that anything we as coaches demand of them is never going to be comparable to what is going to be demanded of them in the Big 12. So you put the pressure on them, and you hope that they can understand that you're trying to prepare them. But freshmen don't usually understand that.
On tonight's game preparing them for the Big 12: Obviously, we have some new players and getting combinations together. Learning what combinations work together. Again, a game like this where we can get as much experience as possible. Even Celina playing at the two, she didn't play at that position last year, so she's moving around positions. The other thing is we're working on things we didn't do last year, some offensive sets, some defensive combinations that we haven't put together. Any game at this point is good for your growth. We were able to work on some things and it looked like we were pressing when we didn't need to be in the second half, but we were strictly working on Texas and trying to continue to get better as a basketball team. We're not close to where we're going to be so every day we have to take advantage of getting better.
TEXAS PLAYER QUOTES
Sophomore G Celina Rodrigo
On if she sees a difference in her role this year: I think so. I think tonight I just took what the defense gave me. We were able to penetrate a lot because they left the middle open, and sometimes they were sagging the screen, so I just took the open shot and it seemed to work out.
On her confidence this year opposed to last year: It is a lot different. There is a lot of experience that I have now, so it's able to give me more confidence with what I'm doing because I know what coach [Aston] wants. I can help the younger players and tell them a lot of things that coach expects from us.
Junior F Nneka Enemkpali
On improvement of team from day one until this point: You can see that we were playing more as a collective group tonight, and we were able to put two halves together. We found that, whenever we had our scrimmages, we played well on defense but we weren't quite there on offense yet. I felt like tonight we had a complete or better showing as far as putting the offense and defense together.
On seeing a difference in Celina from an offensive standpoint: I definitely think Celina has matured a lot since last year. She used to take things a lot more personally whenever coach would get on to her, and she wouldn't be able to recover from it. This year she has a different swagger and different confidence about her, and you can definitely see it on the court when she is out there playing. She can manage the team better than she did last year. It's from the growth and the experience that she received last year. I definitely think she is more confident.
TEXAS STATE QUOTES
Head Coach Zenarae Antoine
On the game: Rebounding was the difference, that's what it came down to. I need to reevaluate how we drill rebounding. Learning how to rebound is going to be critical for this team. We are also very young. We are not only young in age, but we also have players that have missed a lot time from transferring and injuries. I'm not making excuses, but the learning curve is going to be different for them. I'm still very confident we are going to get where we need to be, and a game like this is going to help us.
On the game plan: The game plan was to front; to front in the post and rebound. It is always more about us than the team we are playing. We need to rebound. We did a pretty good job executing the offense, but we did not hit shots. If we don't hit shots, it makes it tougher. Where we get our opportunities is going to be transitioning, but we need to rebound get in transition and score.
Senior G Kaylan Martin
On role as a leader: As a leader, and as a point guard, you can't get down on the team. You have to remain positive. Even when everything is going wrong, you need to find the good in it.
On what made the difference tonight: Rebounding. We gave them too many second chance points, and if we don't rebound, it's hard for us to start our offense. It takes away your transition game, and we try to score a lot in transition.
Junior F Jacqueline Jeffcoat
On rebounding: Rebound is heart and hustle, and I think we were almost where we need to be to get rebounds. We have to work on it. Kileah Mays and I haven't played for a year, so there are still things we need to work on in game flow.
Quotes
Head Coach Karen Aston
Opening Statement: I thought that this was a more complete game for our team than the previous games that we've had, including the exhibition and closed scrimmages and all of those things. I just thought this was a better effort from our team. I thought we seemed better connected with each other, a little calmer on offense and definitely rebounded the ball a lot better. It was a better effort and more consistent on our part.
On expecting more from Celina Rodrigo: I think Celina put a lot of work in in the spring and summer, and she was rewarded with that today. I also think her resilience showed today because she was very disappointed in her last performance and learning lessons is tough sometimes. Last year, she got thrown into the fire and was never really able to evaluate and make corrections for herself because everything was just going so fast for her. She was able to look at the last game we played and say, 'OK, I need to do better than that.' She's put the time in that should have been and responded terrifically tonight.
On if her disciplining Celina Rodrigo is too hard: Probably so. Probably so. I'm pretty hard on point guards, and she knew that about me. She knew what I expected of point guards, and what I try to tell them is that anything we as coaches demand of them is never going to be comparable to what is going to be demanded of them in the Big 12. So you put the pressure on them, and you hope that they can understand that you're trying to prepare them. But freshmen don't usually understand that.
On tonight's game preparing them for the Big 12: Obviously, we have some new players and getting combinations together. Learning what combinations work together. Again, a game like this where we can get as much experience as possible. Even Celina playing at the two, she didn't play at that position last year, so she's moving around positions. The other thing is we're working on things we didn't do last year, some offensive sets, some defensive combinations that we haven't put together. Any game at this point is good for your growth. We were able to work on some things and it looked like we were pressing when we didn't need to be in the second half, but we were strictly working on Texas and trying to continue to get better as a basketball team. We're not close to where we're going to be so every day we have to take advantage of getting better.
TEXAS PLAYER QUOTES
Sophomore G Celina Rodrigo
On if she sees a difference in her role this year: I think so. I think tonight I just took what the defense gave me. We were able to penetrate a lot because they left the middle open, and sometimes they were sagging the screen, so I just took the open shot and it seemed to work out.
On her confidence this year opposed to last year: It is a lot different. There is a lot of experience that I have now, so it's able to give me more confidence with what I'm doing because I know what coach [Aston] wants. I can help the younger players and tell them a lot of things that coach expects from us.
Junior F Nneka Enemkpali
On improvement of team from day one until this point: You can see that we were playing more as a collective group tonight, and we were able to put two halves together. We found that, whenever we had our scrimmages, we played well on defense but we weren't quite there on offense yet. I felt like tonight we had a complete or better showing as far as putting the offense and defense together.
On seeing a difference in Celina from an offensive standpoint: I definitely think Celina has matured a lot since last year. She used to take things a lot more personally whenever coach would get on to her, and she wouldn't be able to recover from it. This year she has a different swagger and different confidence about her, and you can definitely see it on the court when she is out there playing. She can manage the team better than she did last year. It's from the growth and the experience that she received last year. I definitely think she is more confident.
TEXAS STATE QUOTES
Head Coach Zenarae Antoine
On the game: Rebounding was the difference, that's what it came down to. I need to reevaluate how we drill rebounding. Learning how to rebound is going to be critical for this team. We are also very young. We are not only young in age, but we also have players that have missed a lot time from transferring and injuries. I'm not making excuses, but the learning curve is going to be different for them. I'm still very confident we are going to get where we need to be, and a game like this is going to help us.
On the game plan: The game plan was to front; to front in the post and rebound. It is always more about us than the team we are playing. We need to rebound. We did a pretty good job executing the offense, but we did not hit shots. If we don't hit shots, it makes it tougher. Where we get our opportunities is going to be transitioning, but we need to rebound get in transition and score.
Senior G Kaylan Martin
On role as a leader: As a leader, and as a point guard, you can't get down on the team. You have to remain positive. Even when everything is going wrong, you need to find the good in it.
On what made the difference tonight: Rebounding. We gave them too many second chance points, and if we don't rebound, it's hard for us to start our offense. It takes away your transition game, and we try to score a lot in transition.
Junior F Jacqueline Jeffcoat
On rebounding: Rebound is heart and hustle, and I think we were almost where we need to be to get rebounds. We have to work on it. Kileah Mays and I haven't played for a year, so there are still things we need to work on in game flow.
On not playing for a year: I'm getting used to playing and being an impactful players for our team. It is a lot of adjusting for me, and I am not using it as an excuse, but I have a lot of learning to do.
On not playing for a year: I'm getting used to playing and being an impactful players for our team. It is a lot of adjusting for me, and I am not using it as an excuse, but I have a lot of learning to do.
On not playing for a year: I'm getting used to playing and being an impactful players for our team. It is a lot of adjusting for me, and I am not using it as an excuse, but I have a lot of learning to do.
Team Stats
TXST
UT
FG%
.228
.486
3FG%
.167
.421
FT%
.579
.714
RB
27
58
TO
24
20
STL
6
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
22
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
15
FGM
6
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
1