The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Texas A&M
Women’s Basketball upends No. 12/11 Texas A&M, 69-58
11.29.2013 | Women's Basketball
Longhorns defeat the Aggies in the U.S. Virgin Paradise Jam, 69-58.
Box Score (PDF) | Women's Basketball in 'Paradise'
ST. THOMAS, Virgin Islands -- Texas Women's Basketball used its trademark of potent defense and down-low dominance to defeat No. 12/11 Texas A&M, 69-58, on the second day of the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam.
The Longhorns (4-2) defeated the Aggies (4-1) for the third consecutive time behind a performance that that held A&M to a season-low 31.7 shooting percentage, forced 19 turnovers while holding advantages in rebounding (41-to-32) and points in the paint (28-to-20).
Junior forward Nneka Enemkpali found her groove on the offensive end with 20 points on 7-of-8 shooting in 24 minutes. Enemkpali added 11 rebounds for her second double-double of the season and 15th of her career.
Freshman center Kelsey Lang started for the first time of her career to record a season-high 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting with two blocks in 24 minutes.
Texas broke out to a 12-point halftime lead behind 10 first-half points from Enemkpali and eight points from Lang. Junior guard Krystle Henderson hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give UT its double-digit lead.
Sophomore guard Brady Sanders kept the momentum on Texas' side with three 3-pointers on the night, including two that came in the last 10 minutes of the game. Sanders finished with 13 points on 3-of-6 shooting from 3-point range. In two games at the Paradise Jam, Sanders totals 26 points and seven 3-pointers.
The Longhorns iced its first victory over a top-15 opponent since last season's opener against No. 14/13 St. John's (11/9/12) by shooting 16-for-20 at the free throw line, led by Sanders 4-for-4 night at the line.
UT now leads the all-time series with Texas A&M, 61-23, including three consecutive victories against the Aggies.
The Longhorns conclude play in the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam against Memphis on Saturday at 5 p.m. Central. The game can be viewed live on YouTube or heard over the air in Austin on AM 1300.
