The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
3-0
UCLA
0-3
No. 10/13 Women’s Basketball defeats UCLA, 75-65
11.23.2014 | Women's Basketball
Freshmen Ariel Atkins and Brooke McCarty combine for 34 points as the Longhorns complete a two-game sweep of Stanford and UCLA.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Freshman guard Brooke McCarty scored 20 points off the bench and No. 10/13 Texas Women's dominated the boards to roll to a 75-65 win over UCLA on Sunday.
"I'm really proud of our team," coach Karen Aston said. "We didn't know what to expect when we went on this road swing, but what we take out of it is we're a very balanced team, which I'm excited about."
McCarty made 5-of-9 3-pointers to pace UT's offense, and set highs in points, 3-pointers and field goals (7) in her young career.
"Coach just told me when I'm open to shoot the ball," McCarty said. "At first I wasn't, but then she got on to me so I started shooting and was more comfortable as the game went on."
Freshman guard Ariel Atkins added 14 points for the Longhorns, Kelsey Lang had 12 points and six rebounds and Nneka Enemkpali had 10 points and 12 rebounds for her 22nd career double-double.
The Longhorns (3-0) outrebounded the Bruins 50-34, including 20 offensive boards that led to 20 second-chance points.
"We were forcing the kind of shots we wanted (on defense) but we just couldn't come up with the possession," UCLA coach Cori Close said. "It wasn't a height issue or an athleticism issue. It was mental toughness."
For UCLA (0-3), Nirra Fields had 19 points and eight rebounds and Kari Korver added 12 points. The Bruins had a higher shooting percentage than Texas, but couldn't overcome the rebounding deficit.
Texas clung to a slim 31-30 lead near the end of an up-tempo first half that featured three lead changes, but McCarty hit two 3-pointers in the final 56 seconds to give the Longhorns some breathing room and send them into halftime up 37-32.
Texas pulled away at the start of the second half when Atkins hit back-to-back field goals to spark a 9-2 run. UCLA crawled back within seven at 48-41, but McCarty responded with five points during a 7-0 run to stretch Texas' lead back out to double figures.
The Bruins had one more run in them, as Fields made consecutive 3-pointers to cut the Longhorns' lead to 68-63 with 3:25 remaining, but Texas didn't allow another field goal for the remainder of the game.
The Longhorns return to Austin for a six-game homestand, including games against Texas-Pan American on Wednesday (7 p.m. Central; Longhorn Network) and No. 4/5 Tennessee next Sunday (5:30 p.m. Central; FOX Sports 1).
• Series: UCLA leads, 5-6. In Texas-UCLA games played in L.A., the series is even, 2-2.
• On the road: By completing a two-game road sweep against Stanford and UCLA this week, it marks first time Texas has won its first two road games of the season since 2008-09.
• Rebounding glosses over poor shooting: Texas shot 37.1 percent from the field, but out-rebounded UCLA, 50-to-34, for 20 second-chance points. Last season, UT held a 2-10 record when shooting less than 40 percent from the field.
• Big D: Texas had seven steals and scored 22 points off 13 UCLA turnovers.
Brooke McCarty (Freshman, G)
• Came off the bench to lead the Longhorns in scoring with 20 points (7-14 FG, 5-9 3FG).
• Registered UT's first 20-point game from a guard since Feb. 20, 2013 (Chassidy Fussell 26 points vs. Kansas).
• Totaled five 3-point field goals, including three in the first half.
Ariel Atkins (Freshman, G)
• Finished with 14 points (4-9 FG, 6-8 FT) with two steals in just 19 minutes.
• Made the first 14 free throws of her collegiate career after a 6-for-8 performance at the charity stripe on Sunday.
Nneka Enemkpali (Senior, F)
• In the second half alone, notched her 22nd career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds after the break.
• Totaled 10 points and 12 rebounds in 22 minutes.
Kelsey Lang (Sophomore, C)
• Third-straight double-figure scoring effort with 12 points (5-12 FG, 2-2 FT) and three assists in 35 minutes.
• After three games, Lang is UT's leading scorer (12.7 ppg).
Celina Rodrigo (Junior, G)
• Played in her 67th consecutive game -- the longest current streak on the team.
Tasia Foman (Freshman, G)
• Made her first career 3-point field goal.
• Totaled thee points, one assist and one steal in seven minutes.
