The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
9-12, 2-8
Iowa State
16-5, 7-4
Women's Basketball falls to No. 25/24 Iowa State, 67-48
02.06.2013 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 6, 2013
AUSTIN, Texas -- The Texas Women's Basketball team fell to No. 25/24 Iowa State, 67-48, in Wednesday's Big 12 Conference contest at the Frank Erwin Center.
Freshman guard Celina Rodrigo scored a career-high 10 points as the Texas guards got off to a hot start. Rodrigo, junior Chassidy Fussell and freshman Empress Davenport teamed up to score the Longhorns' first 13 points. Davenport scored 13 points on the night, just one point shy of her career-best.
Texas (9-12, 2-8 Big 12) was able to keep the game close throughout the first half due in part to a season-low 14 turnovers throughout the game. With five minutes remaining in the opening frame, freshman guard Gigi Mazionyte got into the scoring column with an inside layup after an offensive rebound by Davenport. Mazionyte then got a steal and dished the ball to Fussell, who put in her own layup to bring Texas within one point at 24-25.
Iowa State (16-5, 7-4 Big 12) used clutch shooting to close out the first half on a 14-0 run to give the Cyclones a 39-24 advantage heading into the locker room. The run was fueled by three-pointers from sophomore guards Nikki Moody and Brynn Williamson, and center Anna Prins, who led all scorers with 14 points at halftime. The Cyclones shot 7-of-13 from beyond the arc in the opening stanza.
Iowa State's hot shooting continued when Prins stretched the lead to 18 with a three-pointer in the opening minute of the second half.
Davenport and the Texas defense got the Longhorns back into the game over a 12-minute stretch, cutting the lead to seven on a three-pointer by Davenport with seven minutes remaining in the game. During the run, Texas held Iowa State to 0-of-7 from three-point distance. The Cyclones broke out of their slump with back-to-back three-point baskets, which were part of a 12-2 run to put the lead back up to 63-46 with under three minutes to play.
Prins led Iowa State with 19 points and was one of four Cyclones with double-digit scoring efforts on the night. Texas returns to the Erwin Center Saturday night for another Big 12 matchup with No. 1/1 Baylor. The game will be broadcast at 7 p.m. on LHN.
POSTGAME NOTES
TEAM NOTES
-The Longhorns are now 10-14 all-time against Iowa State and still hold a 7-3 advantage when playing at the Erwin Center.
-Committed a season-low 14 turnovers … the previous low was 16, which occurred three times.
-Texas employed the starting lineup of Empress Davenport, Celina Rodrigo, Chassidy Fussell, Imani McGee-Stafford and Nneka Enemkpali for the third-straight game.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
Empress Davenport
-Scored 13 points (5-of-11 FG, 2-of-4 3FG, 1-of-2 FT), one off her season high, in a season- and team-high 39 minutes … tonight's game marked her sixth double-digit scoring effort of the season and the second time she has led Texas in scoring this season.
Celina Rodrigo
-Posted season high in scoring with 10 points (5-of-6 FG), her first double-digit output of the season.
Chassidy Fussell
-Dished three assists to tie her season high and co-lead Texas in the game
-Reached double figures in scoring (10 points; 4-of-12 FG, 2-of-2 FT) for the 13th time this season and 67th time in her career.
-Averaging 12.5 points and 6.75 rebounds over each of the last four games in which she has played
Nneka Enemkpali
-Matched her career high of four steals … is averaging three steals over the last three games
POSTGAME QUOTES
TEXAS QUOTES
Head coach Karen Aston
Opening Statement: Iowa State was just better than we were tonight, and in pretty much every area of the game. They were a better basketball team than we were. Disappointing, but credit to them. They were a better team than we were.
On thoughts on how this stole the momentum the team has built over last few games: I'm disappointed because I thought we would come out and play harder with more intensity. I don't think it was that we didn't understand what they were going to bring to the table, because we already played them once. We knew that it was going to be a physical basketball game and we knew they would have a presence in the paint and they did. We didn't have enough urgency tonight. I thought there were so many critical plays in the game that really boiled down to that they wanted the ball more than we wanted it. In particular just some possessions where I thought we were still in the game. There were 50-50 balls that we just never seemed to get a piece of that really, I thought, were a lot of differences in the game. And rebounding. We shot 37 percent to their 49 but we still get out rebounded and that just is not acceptable effort.
On thoughts when brought the game close and then went cold: 50-50 balls. Absolutely. Interesting that you point that out because that was a huge swing in the game because we had made the effort, again, one more time. We got down a little bit early, we came back, which we have been doing, and the character of our team right now is not bad because we are continuing to come back from deficits. But you can only come back so much before you have got to take advantage of things. And we did not take advantage of the fact that we were on a run, we were one down, we got a stop, ball lands on the floor, we don't get it, they pitch it out for a three, and the very next possession we don't pay attention to detail again. I can't continue to blame it on youth because these players that are playing right now have had a lot of minutes. We have got to understand the urgency of this league and we didn't look like we understood it tonight.
Sophomore F Nneka Enemkpali
On feelings that the team lacked urgency tonight: Like coach said, the lack of urgency is what really got us. They were posting all over the floor and our guards and forwards, we lacked the ability to get to the ball and they just beat us to the position. Whenever they got the ball, they ended up converting from it.
On Texas' biggest problems in the game: Their two post players are really strong so you have to give them credit. Offensively, we were unable to really just bury them the way we buried TCU and Kansas State. Defensively, they buried us in what we should've been doing to them.
Freshman G Empress Davenport
On difficulty to defend Iowa State's 3-pointers: In a sense it was [difficult]. I think, like coach said, we had a lack of urgency to get back to the ball. Like, if one of our guards got beat or a post got beat, you try to help before they get down and shoot a three and make it. I mean that is what we should've done but I don't think we had a sense of urgency to get to the ball.
On thoughts of first year players still not ready: I think we have played together enough to work together as a team and know what to do and what not to do.
IOWA STATE QUOTES
Head coach Bill Fennelly
Opening Statement: That was a really great effort by our team. I am really pleased with the way we played from start to finish. We were very balanced. I thought we defended well. They played as well tonight as they have in a long time. They took care of the ball. We had a great end to the first half and that gave us some momentum. Overall, we did exactly what we wanted to do defensively. We got some boards and made some shots. Our 14 turnovers were good and our rebounding was good. All the things you have to do on the road were good. This is a big win for our team and these kids. I'm very proud for Anna Prins to score her 1,000th point with Iowa State. This was a game that will hopefully give us some momentum forward.
On slowing down Texas' inside presence: That was a big part of the plan. I'm not going to lie to you, we talked at length about making sure Chassidy Fussell didn't get off and make a lot of shots and then we really wanted to make it hard for Texas' big players. We wanted to try and double-team them when we could and not give them a good initial position around the basket and not give them offensive rebounds. We talked about playing them even and see what happens. Texas' inside players are hard to guard but the numbers tonight were really good and were certainly a key to the game.
On 3-point shooting success: It's kind of always the game plan for us. We shoot a lot of three's. We knew that they were going to be aggressive on the ball and attack the ball in transition. We thought we would have some dribble-drive and kick-out opportunities. A lot of that comes from defensive rebounding. With defensive rebounding you can open the court and run the court. We have some kids that can shoot and Anna Prins shot the ball great. When we can bring Anna in the game we can spread the court and put five kids out there that can make threes. That creates opportunities for a lot of people.
Senior C Anna Prins
On scoring 1,000 career points: I think tonight I just wanted to come in and do what was needed at every given moment. I think at this point, being a senior, I'm just trying to play the way that I can play and do what the teams needs. I'm enjoying every moment.
On slowing down Texas' inside presence: For me, it's always fun to play girls my size. You kind of get that competitive feeling when you know that there is a girl that is your size out there. It's fun to compete. Texas' big players score a lot of their points, so it was definitely our goal to defend the best as we could.
Sophomore G Nikki Moody
On her assists: My teammates knew where to be. When I attack, they know what spots to slide to and I know they're going to be there.
