The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
14-7, 5-4
Baylor *
18-3, 8-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 36 | 37 | 73 |
| Baylor | 35 | 52 | 87 |
Women's Basketball falls to No. 9/7 Baylor, 87-73
02.01.2014 | Women's Basketball
Nneka Enemkpali posts her third consecutive double-double with 19 points and 15 rebounds.
Box Score (PDF) |Notes | Quotes
WACO, Texas (AP) -- Junior Nneka Enemkpali posted her third consecutive double-double, but Texas Women's Basketball lost to No. 9/7 Baylor on Saturday night at the Ferrell Center.
Baylor (18-3, 8-1) was led by 44 points from senior Odyssey Sims.
Nneka Enemkpali had 19 points and 15 rebounds to lead Texas (14-7, 5-4). Four of the Longhorns' losses have been to ranked teams.
Sims, the nation's second-leading scorer who had shot 33 percent over the previous three games, was 12 of 34 from the field in her fourth 40-point game of the season.
Baylor missed 12 straight shots early in the first half and fell behind 20-11 on a 13-0 run by Texas.
Enemkpali had consecutive layups that put Texas in front 13-11, and Krystle Henderson capped the run with a 3-pointer.
The Longhorns went ahead 36-35 at halftime on a Nekia Jones 3-pointer just before the first-half buzzer.
Baylor opened up the second half on an 8-0 run and out-scored Texas in the second half, 52-37.
The Longhorns had to deal with foul trouble most of the game, finishing with 37 fouls as Baylor made 37 of 44 free throws. Three Texas players fouled out, and three others finished with four. Baylor was called for 21 fouls as Texas made 18 of 26 free throws.
Jones scored 11 points for Texas, while Brady Sanders, Celina Rodrigo and Kelsey Lang had 10 apiece.
Texas continues Big 12 play at home, Wednesday, Jan. 5 against Texas Tech at 7 p.m. Central on Longhorn Network.
TEAM NOTES
• Series: Saturday's game marked the 86th meeting between Texas and Baylor. Texas leads the all-time series 57-28.
• Starters: Sophomore Celina Rodrigo, senior Chassidy Fussell, sophomore Brady Sanders, junior Nneka Enemkpali and sophomore Imani McGee-Stafford on Saturday. This is the first time this lineup has been used and the 11th different starting lineup in 21 games.
• In the first half, Texas limited Baylor to nine field goals, which is the lowest number of field goals made by the Lady Bears in a first half in conference play. Kansas State limited Baylor to eight second half field goals on Jan. 22.
• Texas was whistled for a program-high 37 fouls in the contest, leading to 44 free throw attempts for Baylor, a season high for attempted free throws by a Texas opponent this season.
• Texas had a higher shooting percentage (39.3 percent) than Baylor (38.1 percent) and also delivered more assists than the Bears (19 to 15).
• Five Longhorns (Enemkpali, Sanders, Rodrigo, Jones and Lang) reached double figures for the first time in conference play and the first time since six players reached double figures against Sam Houston State on Dec. 15, 2013.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
Nneka Enemkpali
• Recorded her third consecutive double-double with a team-high 19 points and 15 rebounds.
• Averaging 14.0 rebounds per game over the last five games.
Celina Rodrigo
• Scored 10 points for her fourth double-figure scoring effort this season.
• Dished out seven assists. Carries a 2.9-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio over the last four games.
Brady Sanders
• Scored 10 points and grabbed six rebounds in 34 minutes of play.
• Also recorded a career-high two blocks.
Kelsey Lang
• Scored 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting for her fifth double-digit performance this season.
• Also grabbed six rebounds. Has averaged 5.0 rebounds per game over the last three games.
Nekia Jones
• Scored 11 points in 14 minutes for her fourth double-digit performance this season
Head coach Karen Aston
Opening Statement: I thought our team competed really, really hard. Obviously a lot of creidt to Baylor and their ability to do what they do best, which is Odyssey number one and number two, rebound. I thought they came up with a lot of timely rebounds. Odyssey was terrific. Obviously we need to go back and look at a different game plan. I thought we would be a little bit more disciplined defensively than we were. We just couldn't find any kind of rhythm defensively. You sort of pick your poison. I think the last couple of teams have picked their poison with manning her and leaving other people open. We chose not to do that today, and that wasn't a good decision either. I'm not sure there is a decision with Odyssey. But I am proud of our team's effort. I thought we fought really hard. We just didn't play smart basketball today, and I think we'll grow from this.
