The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
18-8, 7-8
Texas Tech *
15-12, 5-10
McCarty leads No. rv/25 Women’s Basketball past Texas Tech, 62-59
02.21.2015 | Women's Basketball
Longhorns win third straight behind 13-point effort from Brooke McCarty.
LUBBOCK, Texas -- Freshmen guards Brooke McCarty and Ariel Atkins posted double-digit points to lead No. rv/25 Texas Women's Basketball past Texas Tech, 62-59, on Saturday afternoon at the United Supermarkets Arena.
Texas (18-8, 7-8 Big 12) led Texas Tech for 35 minutes of the game, including a 12-point margin at the 3:31 mark of the second half, but the Longhorns were able to stave off a late comeback that cut their lead to just two points with 15 seconds remaining. McCarty made a free throw to give UT a 62-59 lead, and on the ensuing possession Tech missed a last-second 3-pointer to seal the victory for the Burnt Orange & White.
McCarty finished with 13 points on 2-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc and 5-of-6 shooting at the free throw line in 39 minutes. Atkins registered double-figure points for the 10th time in 18 games, scoring 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting in 18 minutes. Sophomore guard Brianna Taylor paced the Longhorns with nine rebounds, adding seven points in 33 minutes.
Texas out-scored Texas Tech off the bench, 22-5, held the Lady Raiders to 38 percent shooting, and owned a 35-27 rebounding margin.
Off the tip, Atkins and McCarty scored five quick points each to give Texas a 10-2 lead, but the Lady Raiders shortly answered with a run of their own -- tying the score, 12-12. The Longhorns regained the lead at the 7:40 mark of the first half with a mid-range jumper from junior guard Brady Sanders. Texas would not give up its lead for the remainder of the game.
The Longhorns went into halftime with a 31-25 lead after shooting 44 percent from the field and out-scoring Tech in the paint, 12-4, in the first half.
Texas was able to sustain its lead down the stretch behind McCarty's 10 second-half points and a 17-of-23 team effort at the free throw line in the second half alone.
In the last 10 minutes of regulation, the Lady Raiders were able to get Texas out of its offensive system by fouling nine times to slow the clock. The Longhorns made 13 of their season-high 23 free throws during the last 10 minutes to ice the game.
Texas Tech (15-12, 5-10 Big 12) was led by Kelsi Baker's 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting in 26 minutes.
Texas returns to Austin to host Oklahoma State on Wednesday (7 p.m. Central, Longhorn Network).
