The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
West Virginia *
No. rv/24 Women's Basketball preview: at West Virginia [March 1, 2015]
02.28.2015 | Women's Basketball
Longhorns face West Virginia on Sunday (12 p.m. Central, ESPN2) in Big 12 road finale.
Game 28: #rv/24 TEXAS (19-8, 8-8) at West Virginia (16-12, 6-10)
Date/Time: Sunday, March 1 | 12 p.m. Central
Site: Morgantown, W.Va. | WVU Coliseum (14,000)
TV: ESPN2 - Sam Gore (play-by-play), Sue Bird (analyst)
Radio: 103.1 FM iHeart Austin / Sirius 113 / XM 199 / TexasSports.com - Roger Wallace (play-by-play), Fran Harris (analyst)
Live Stats: WVULiveStats.com
VIDEO: Pregame press conference [Karen Aston, Krystle Henderson]
Game Notes
TEXAS-WVU SERIES
• Texas faces West Virginia for the eighth time on Sunday in front of a national television audience on ESPN2.
• WVU leads the all-time series with Texas, 4-3. Texas is 0-2 against WVU in Morgantown.
• Texas won the first meeting of the season, 61-55, in Austin on Jan. 7, behind an 11-point, 12-rebound effort from a healthy Nneka Enemkpali for UT's 13th consecutive victory. WVU's Bria Holmes posted 22 points in 39 minutes.
• Last season, the Longhorns split the regular season series with the Mountaineers before losing in the semifinals of the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship.
• WVU won the first-ever meeting between the teams in the first round of the NCAA Championship, 68-55, on March 17, 2012 in Norfolk, Va.
WINNING STREAK
• Texas is on a four-game winning streak -- its first winning streak since starting the season 13-0.
• During UT's current four-game winning streak the Horns have a +12.3 scoring margin, averaging 67.8 points and holding opponents to 55.5 points.
• Freshman guard Ariel Atkins is the team's leading scorer during the streak, averaging 12.3 points on 45 percent shooting in 25.8 minutes.
• Junior guard Brady Sanders has 13 assists on just 2 turnovers during the streak. Sanders also averages 10.5 points and 6.0 rebounds, and totals a team-high seven 3-pointers in the last four games.
• Junior center Imani McGee-Stafford is averaging a team-best 8.8 rebounds in just 18.8 minutes during the streak.
• Texas has won two straight Big 12 road games after dropping the first six.
• UT's bench has averaged 22.3 points during the streak.
NEARING THE 20-WIN MARK
• Texas is one win away from its 32nd 20-win season.
• Last season, Texas reached 20 wins for the first time since the 2009-10 season.
• All of UT's 20-win teams have earned a berth in the NCAA Championship, since joining the Association in the 1982-83 season.
• Karen Aston has been apart of seven 20-win teams at Texas -- six as an assistant coach (1998-2006) and one as a head coach (2012-present).
'Her Voice' featuring McGee-Stafford airs Sunday on ESPN
• Imani McGee-Stafford will appear on ESPN on Sunday in a long-form feature entitled "Her Voice" -- reported by ESPN's LZ Granderson and produced by LHN's Michael Holmes.
• The piece debuted as part of Longhorn Network's one-hour Black History Month special edition of Longhorn Extra on Thursday, and will air as part of ESPN's award-winning SC Featured series on Sunday's SportsCenters.
DEEP BENCH
• 11 Longhorns average more than 10 minutes per game.
• Texas' bench out-scores its counterpart, 24-14.
• During Big 12 play, UT's bench out-scores the opponent's bench, 20-10.
• Sophomore center Kelsey Lang and injured senior forward Nneka Enemkpali are the only two student-athletes who have started all games they have played in this season for UT.
CRASHING THE BOARDS
• Texas has out-rebounded 25 of 27 opponents this season.
• UT's +10.3 rebounding margin ranks 11th in the nation.
• The Horns are averaging 42.7 rebounds per game and holding opponents to 32.4 boards.
• The Longhorns posted a +23 rebound margin at Kansas (Feb. 14). It marked the third-largest rebound margin this season and largest in a Big 12 contest.
• The Horns held a 39-33 rebounding advantage the last time Texas and WVU met (Jan. 7).
WINS AND LOSSES
• During its 19 wins this season, Texas has averaged 71.8 points on 44.3 percent shooting from the field.
• During UT's eight losses, the Horns average 59.4 points on 36.4 percent shooting.
• The Longhorns are 18-2 when scoring 60 points or more in a game and 12-0 when scoring 70 points or more.
• Texas has a +2.1 turnover margin during wins and a -6.4 turnover margin in losses.
POINTS IN THE PAINT
• Texas is out-scoring its opponents in the paint by an average of 33-to-21, a +12 point margin.
• On Wednesday, Texas doubled Oklahoma State in the paint, 32-16.
• During Big 12 play, Texas has a 28-22 scoring advantage in the paint.
• Texas has scored 40+ points in the paint in five games this season.
• During non-conference play, Texas had a 41-19 scoring advantage in the paint.
• The Longhorns scored a season-high 58 points in the paint against McNeese State (Dec. 17). It was the most since scoring 60 in the paint against Sam Houston State last season.
McCarty NAMEd BIG 12 freshman of the week, again
• Freshman guard Brooke McCarty was named Big 12 Freshman of the Week for the second consecutive week on Monday.
• Before Wednesday's game, McCarty averaged 12.2 points in the previous five games.
• McCarty scored 11 points with two steals in 17 minutes in a win over K-State (Feb. 18), and led the Longhorns in scoring with 13 points and six rebounds in 25 minutes at Texas Tech (Feb. 21).
• The League City, Texas, native leads Texas with 34 3-point field goals this season.
• She has converted on 19 of her last 22 trips to the free throw line (.864 FT%).
• When McCarty is on the floor, Texas is out-scoring is opponents with a +10.9 scoring margin per 40 minutes.
• McCarty registered her second 20-point effort of the season with 21 points at Oklahoma State (Feb. 11).
• McCarty played in a conference-high 49 minutes in a double-overtime victory over Oklahoma (Jan. 29). She also dished out a season-high eight assists against the Sooners.
• McCarty came off the bench to lead the Longhorns in scoring with 20 points (7-14 FG, 5-9 3FG) at UCLA (Nov. 23).
• The former McDonald's High School All-American made her first career start against Northwestern State (Dec. 14).
LANG STAYING CONSISTENT
• Sophomore center Kelsey Lang is the team's active leading scorer (10.6 ppg), rebounder (6.3 rpg) and shooter (.556; 124-223 FG).
• Lang has scored double-figure points in nine of the last 12 games.
• The Woodlands, Texas native has started in all 26 games she has played in and has reached double-figure points 16 times.
• Lang recorded her first career double-double against Baylor (Feb. 8), scoring 20 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in 37 minutes.
• She has also posted double-figure points with nine rebounds twice this season -- 11 points and nine rebounds against Oklahoma State (Feb. 25), and 14 points and nine rebounds at K-State (Feb. 4).
• Lang has scored a career-high 20 points twice this season -- against UTPA (Nov. 26) and Baylor (Feb. 8).
• Lang was named Big 12 Player of the Week on Dec. 1 -- her first career Big 12 weekly honor. Lang averaged 19 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting .750 (18-of-24) from the field during Texas' wins over UT-Pan American and No. 4/5 Tennessee.
Atkins FINDING HER GROOVE
• During UT's current four-game winning streak, freshman guard Ariel Atkins has been the team's leading scorer (12.3 ppg) on 45 percent shooting from the field (18-40 FG) and 9-of-10 shooting at the free throw line.
• On the year, Atkins averages 10.4 points per game and leads UT in free throw percentage (.828).
• In the last three games she is shooting 48.1 percent from the field (13-27 FG). In her first 15 games of the season, Atkins shot 35.3 percent from the field (49-139 FG).
• Atkins is a two-time Big 12 Freshman of the Week and was named the USBWA National Freshman of the Week on Feb. 3 after posting 34 points (17.0 ppg) in two games against Oklahoma (Jan. 29) and TCU (Feb. 1).
• During UT's double-overtime victory over Oklahoma (Jan. 29), Atkins registered 21 points (7-17 FG, 7-8 FT) in 40 minutes.
• The Preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year missed eight games in December and January with an ankle injury, before returning against Texas Tech (Jan. 17).
• Atkins made her first 14 free throws of her collegiate career.
• Atkins was a 2014 McDonald's High School All-American and played for the USA Basketball U18 National Team during the summer of 2014.
McGEE-STAFFORD ON A ROLL
• Junior center Imani McGee-Stafford is beginning to hit her stride after missing eight games due to preseason leg surgery.
• The Los Angeles native has two double-doubles and four double-figure scoring efforts in the last six games.
• She is coming off a 11-rebound and 5-block performance against Oklahoma State on Wednesday.
• In her five starts this season, McGee-Stafford averages 14.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.2 blocks, and a .600 shooting percentage in just 24.8 minutes.
• Per 40 minutes during Big 12 play, she averages 21.1 points, 15.3 rebounds and 4.5 blocks
• McGee-Stafford has six double-figure scoring efforts in the last nine games.
• She notched her first 20-point game of the season with 22 points (10-16 FG) in 27 minutes at TCU (Feb. 1).
• In UT's double-overtime win over Oklahoma (Jan. 29), McGee-Stafford registered her first double-double of the season with season highs of 15 points, 11 rebounds and 29 minutes played.
• On Jan. 17, she became engaged to Paul Boyette Jr., a defensive tackle on the Texas Football team.
• McGee-Stafford played for the first time of the season on Dec. 17 against McNeese State after recovering from surgery to reinforce her left tibia in September. She missed the first eight games of the season.
• McGee-Stafford is the 2013 Big 12 Freshman of the Year and earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors last season.
SANDERS ASSISTING
• Junior guard Brady Sanders leads the Longhorns in assists (81; 3.1 apg).
• Sanders also leads the team in minutes played (29.3 mpg).
• Sanders has posted four or more assists in six of the last eight games.
• She has recorded five or more assists in a game seven times. Entering the season, she featured just three games with five or more assists.
INJURY REPORT
• Sophomore forward Nekia Jones (left knee) is indefinitely out.
• Senior forward Nneka Enemkpali (left knee) is out for the season after tearing her ACL at Baylor (Jan 19).
• Nine Longhorns have missed a combined 44 games this season.
GETTING DEFENSIVE
• Texas has the second-ranked shooting percentage defense in the Big 12 (.360 FG% defense).
• The Longhorns held Oklahoma State to 28.6 percent shooting on Wednesday.
• Only seven opponents have shot 40 percent or better against the Longhorns.
• Texas also has the fourth-ranked scoring defense in the Big 12, holding opponents to 58.6 points per game.
• Texas has held six opponents to under 50 points, including two under 40 points.
SHOOTING POTENTIAL
• In the last four games, Texas is shooting 38.8 percent from beyond the arc (33-85 3FG); in the previous 21 games, Texas shot 25.9 percent from 3-point range.
• Last season, Texas led the Big 12 in 3-point field goal percentage (.365, 187-512 3FG). But this season, Texas ranks 9th in the Big 12 in 3-point field goal percentage.
