The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Stanford
No. 5 Women's Basketball Preview: No. 14 Stanford [Dec. 13, 2015]
12.11.2015 | Women's Basketball
Longhorns and Cardinal tip-off at 12 p.m. CT Sunday on ESPN.
No. 5/6 Texas Longhorns (7-0) vs. No. 14/12 Stanford Cardinal (6-1)
Location: Austin, Texas | Frank Erwin Center (16,540)
Time: Sunday, December 13, 2015 | 12 p.m. CT
Television: ESPN (Lowell Galindo, Katie Smith)
Radio: 104.9 FM The Horn (Craig Way, Fran Harris)
Tickets | Game Notes | Live Stats | Live Audio
AUSTIN, Texas – The No. 5/6 Texas women's basketball team will face its third top-25 opponent of the 2015-16 season on Sunday when it plays host to No. 14/12 Stanford at the Frank Erwin Center. Tip-off is slated for 12 p.m. CT and the game will be televised nationally by ESPN.
Texas (7-0) and Stanford (6-1) meet for the 10th time in the history of the two programs on Sunday. The Cardinal leads the all-time series between the two teams 6-3. The Longhorns won 87-81 in overtime last season in Maples Pavilion when Stanford was ranked No. 1.
It will be a meeting of two of the nation's winningest programs all-time. The Longhorns rank sixth all-time in NCAA Division I women's basketball history with 988 victories, while the Cardinal ranks seventh all-time with 983 victories.
Texas has won 21 consecutive games against regular-season non-conference opponents dating back to the 2013-14 season.
"After a week of finals, our players are probably ready to get on the floor on Sunday," Texas head coach Karen Aston said. "They're excited – it's always exciting to play a team the caliber of Stanford. They're a traditional powerhouse and you have to respect what Tara [VanDerveer] has done there over the years. Our players really take it as a challenge to play against them. They're solid, fundamental, hard to guard and they make you a better team when you play them."
Texas is coming off a 66-56 win against Little Rock last Sunday in Little Rock, Ark. The Longhorns overcame a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to rally for the 10-point victory. After going scoreless in the third quarter, Texas out-scored Little Rock 31-8 in the game's final period.
Texas senior center Imani Boyette is the team's leader in both scoring (13.6 ppg) and rebounding (8.9 rpg). She is one of two Texas players averaging double-figure scoring. Sophomore guard Brooke McCarty, who scored a career-high 23 points against Little Rock, is averaging 13.0 ppg.
Stanford enters Sunday's game with a 6-1 overall record. The Cardinal is road tested this season, having played only two of its seven games at home. Stanford was predicted to finish second in the Pac-12 Conference, according to the preseason coaches poll.
Lili Thompson leads Stanford in scoring with 19.3 points per game. She is one of four Stanford players averaging double-figure scoring averages on the year. Erica McCall is the second-leading rebounder in the Pac-12 Conference, averaging 10.7 boards per game. She is second on her team in scoring at 14.3 points per game.
QUICK NOTES
- Senior center Imani Boyette is the Big 12 Conference's Co-Player of the Week this week after leading the Longhorns in a pair of victories against No. 9 Mississippi State and Little Rock last week. She averaged a squad-best 15.5 points per game and 8.5 rebounds per game over that two-game stretch.
- Texas ranks sixth in all-time victories by NCAA Division I institutions with 988. Just three teams in the history of the sport have achieved 1,000 wins - Tennessee (1,283), Louisiana Tech (1,063), and James Madison (1,023). The Longhorns are one of only 13 programs nationally to have eclipsed the all-time 900-win plateau.
- Up next, Texas plays host to Canisius on Wednesday, December 16 at 7 p.m. in a game televised nationally on Longhorn Network.
PRE-GAME QUOTES
Texas Head Coach Karen Aston
"After a week of finals, our players are probably ready to get on the floor on Sunday. They're excited – it's always exciting to play a team the caliber of Stanford. They're a traditional powerhouse and you have to respect what Tara [VanDerveer] has done there over the years. Our players really take it as a challenge to play against them. They're solid, fundamental, hard to guard and they make you a better team when you play them."
On what she's looking to see from her team in Sunday's game against Stanford …
"I look at our team right now and we really just need to get better every day. I thought we sort of got to a standstill after the Mississippi State game. Our practices weren't very good and we didn't play well at Little Rock, so I'm actually looking for us to be more productive. Stanford will make us that way or we will lose."
On the potential of having a big crowd for Sunday's game against Stanford …
"Our team definitely enjoys playing in front of crowds. I know it's a big weekend in Texas sports. You have volleyball contending to go to the Final Four and our men's basketball team has a big game on Saturday, but I do hope that people stop and have lunch here on Sunday, and give our team some credit for where they are and give our team some support. I think we've earned it and they deserve it."
On the fourth-quarter comeback against Little Rock after being shut out in the third quarter …
"It speaks to our maturity because if you look at that scenario last year, we might have cratered. They were able to wipe the slate clean and reset for the fourth quarter. That may be something that we see as a trend – the fact that the quarter system has allowed teams to hit a reset button that maybe you didn't think about in the past."
On the challenges Texas will face against Stanford …
"They'll challenge us in a way that will be different than what we have seen in the last two or three games. We're going to have to make some conscious adjustments to that. I'm concerned about [Stanford's] shooting. Their three-point shooting is really solid and they have guards that can really shoot the ball. I think they're a solid, fundamental basketball team, so to be able to beat them, we have to do a lot of things well. We have to rebound well. We do have to establish the paint, but we're also going to have to make good decisions on the court."
