The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Sam Houston State
No. 5 Women's Basketball preview: Sam Houston State [Dec. 27, 2015]
12.25.2015 | Women's Basketball
Longhorns and Bearkats meet at 2 p.m. CT on Sunday.
No. 5/6 Texas Longhorns (10-0) vs. Sam Houston State Bearkats (4-5)
Location: Austin, Texas | Frank Erwin Center (16,540)
Time: Sunday, December 27, 2015 | 2 p.m. CT
Television: Longhorn Network (Fran Harris, Nell Fortner, Tyler Denning)
Radio: 104.9 FM The Horn (Craig Way, Kathy Harston)
Tickets | Game Notes | Live Stats | Live Audio | WatchESPN
AUSTIN, Texas – The No. 5/6 Texas women's basketball team plays host to Sam Houston State on Sunday in its non-conference finale. Tip-off in the Frank Erwin Center is slated for 2 p.m. CT and the game will be televised nationally by Longhorn Network.
Following the game, Texas will play host to the Longhorn Kids Clinic, at which Texas coaches and student-athletes will instruct those eighth grade and under during the clinic session. Register at the marketing table in Section 44 by halftime. Participants should be sure to dress athletically and bring gym-appropriate shoes. Participants and chaperones are required to have a ticket to the game.
The Longhorns (10-0) are currently one of only nine NCAA Division I women's basketball programs with undefeated records. Texas is looking to go 11-0 to start the season for the second consecutive year and for just the fifth time in program history. Should the Longhorns win on Sunday, it would mark the first back-to-back 11-0 starts in school history. Texas has currently won 23 consecutive games against regular-season non-conference opponents dating back to the 2013-14 campaign.
Sophomore guard Brooke McCarty leads the Longhorns in scoring, averaging 12.6 points per game. Senior center Imani Boyette follows with 12.4 points per game and leads the team in rebounding with 8.8 boards per game. She currently ranks fifth in the Big 12 Conference in rebounds per game. Junior guard Brianna Taylor adds 9.8 points per game and is second on the team with 5.0 rebounds per game.
Texas and Sam Houston State are meeting for the ninth time in the history of the two programs with the Longhorns leading the all-time series 8-0. The two teams last met on December 15, 2013, with Texas winning 109-48.
Sam Houston State assistant coach Stacy Stephens is a Texas Ex who played for the Longhorns from 2000-04 and served as a Special Assistant on Karen Aston's staff from 2012-14. She is one of only four players in UT school history to collect 1,000-plus points and 1,000-plus rebounds.
The Bearkats enter Sunday's game with a 4-5 overall record and are coming off a 78-50 loss at Kansas State on Dec. 19. Senior guard Shernise Robertson is the team's leading scorer, averaging 16.2 points per game, while senior center Angela Beadle is averaging 12.2 points per game and a squad-best 8.3 rebounds per game.
QUICK NOTES
- Texas has won the rebounding battle in nine of 10 games this season. The Longhorns are averaging 44.3 boards per game and winning the rebound margin by +13.6. Texas ranks ninth nationally in rebound margin.
- Texas ranks sixth in all-time victories by NCAA Division I institutions with 991. Just four teams in the history of the sport have achieved 1,000 wins - Tennessee (1,284), Louisiana Tech (1,063), James Madison (1,024) and Old Dominion (1,000). Stephen F. Austin is fifth all-time with 992 victories.
- Up Next, Texas begins Big 12 Conference play on Wednesday when it travels to Morgantown, W.Va., to face West Virginia. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m. CT and the Longhorns will be looking for their first-ever win in Morgantown.
