The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Oklahoma
No. 6 Women's Basketball preview: No. 19 Oklahoma [Jan. 23, 2016]
01.22.2016 | Women's Basketball
Longhorns and Sooners meet at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday.
No. 6/6 Texas Longhorns (17-1, 6-1 Big 12) vs. No. 19/19 Oklahoma Sooners (13-4, 4-2 Big 12)
Location: Austin, Texas | Frank Erwin Center (16,540)
Time: Saturday, January 23, 2016 | 11 a.m. CT | Presented by St. David's HealthCare
TV: FSN (Bob Licht, Dan Hughes) | Where To Watch in Your Area
Radio: 105.3 FM (Roger Wallace, Fran Harris)
Tickets | Game Notes | Live Stats | Live Audio
AUSTIN, Texas – The No. 6/6 Texas women's basketball team will face its fifth top-25 opponent of the season on Saturday when it plays host to No. 19/19 Oklahoma presented by St. David's HealthCare on Saturday at the Frank Erwin Center. Tip-off is slated for 11 a.m. CT and the game will be carried live on FSN. It is Texas Exes Weekend for the program and a number of former players will be in attendance.
The Longhorns (17-1, 6-1 Big 12 Conference) are coming off a hard-fought 65-58 comeback victory against TCU on Wednesday night in Fort Worth. It was the first win for Texas in Fort Worth since the 2013 season.
The first 100 students in attendance will receive a free Tacodeli breakfast taco, and tacos will be distributed in front of E doors. Six students will randomly be selected for a chance to compete for one of two $500 scholarships from head coach Karen Aston.
Longhorn fans are encouraged to bring a canned-food item to help benefit members of the Central Texas community. Collection bins will be located at the entrance to A doors and the Red River entrance.
Texas is 3-1 this season against top-25 opponents, while Oklahoma is 0-2 this year against the top-25.
"We're really excited to be back in the Erwin Center," Aston said. "We had a tough game against TCU. I thought it was a tremendous bounce-back game from the difficult loss to Baylor. Tomorrow is Exes Day so it's always an exciting time for our program. We bring all the former players back and it's a game that our players really appreciate very much because they get to be around our former players and the alumni game is after that is a lot of fun. It's a time for them to reflect on the tradition of our program."
Senior Texas center Imani Boyette leads the Longhorns, averaging a double-double at 13.3 points per game and 10.1 rebounds per game. Boyette is the leading blocker in the Big 12 Conference, averaging 3.2 swats per game and also ranks third in the Big 12 in rebounding. In conference games only, Boyette leads the Big 12 in rebounding (12.6 rebounds per game), field goal percentage (.584) and blocked shots (4.6 blocks per game). Boyette needs just five more rebounds entering Saturday's game to become just the ninth person in program history to reach 900 career boards.
Sophomore guard Brooke McCarty contributes 11.2 points per game, while sophomore guard Ariel Atkins adds 9.3 points per game. Junior center Kelsey Lang and junior guard Brianna Taylor each contribute 4.8 rebounds per game. Senior guard Celina Rodrigo has dished out a squad-best 69 assists on the season, while Taylor has come up with a team-high 29 steals.
Texas and Oklahoma meet for the 51st time in the history of the two programs. The Longhorns lead the all-time series 27-23, including a 14-9 mark when the game is played in Austin. Texas has won three of the last four meetings between the two team, including a 2-1 record against the Sooners last season. The Longhorns beat Oklahoma 59-47 in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals last year to advance to their first Big 12 Tournament Championship Game since 2004.
Oklahoma enters Saturday's game with a 13-4 overall record and a 4-2 mark in Big 12 Conference play. The Sooners are coming off a 92-53 win against Texas Tech on Wednesday.
Senior forward Kaylon Williams leads Oklahoma in both scoring (14.2 points per game) and rebounding (8.4 rebounds per game). She recently became the 31st player in OU school history to surpass the 1,000-point mark.
QUICK NOTES
- Texas head coach Karen Aston won her 75th game at Texas on Wednesday at TCU.
- The Longhorns rank seventh nationally in field-goal percentage defense (33.3).
- Texas ranks 10th nationally in rebound margin at plus-11.5.
- Ten of Texas' 17 wins this season have been decided by 20 or more points.
- Texas has led at the half in 15 of 18 games this season, trailing at intermission in only the games against Little Rock, Baylor and TCU. The Longhorns are 2-1 when trailing at the half.
- The Longhorns have scored 70 or more points in 11 games this season, including 80 or more points in five contests.
- Senior Texas center Imani Boyette has been named Big 12 Player of the Week on three occasions this season.
- All 13 available Texas players have seen action in four games this season.
PRE-GAME QUOTES
Texas Head Coach Karen Aston
"We're really excited to be back in the Erwin Center. We had a tough game against TCU. I thought it was a tremendous bounce-back game from the difficult loss to Baylor. Tomorrow is Exes Day so it's always an exciting time for our program. We bring all the former players back and it's a game that our players really appreciate very much because they get to be around our former players and the alumni game is after that is a lot of fun. It's a time for them to reflect on the tradition of our program."
On the maturity she saw from her team in the comeback win against TCU …
"It was a difficult loss to Baylor, but we go on the road against TCU, a team that plays really well at home, and to be able to dig out of a hole to come back and win, I thought was a really good win. We haven't traditionally played very well at TCU. I think the maturity of not only bouncing back from the loss, but then showing up and being a little flat and getting down, definitely I saw some different conversations going on the huddles that we haven't seen before."
On the rivalry with Oklahoma …
"I think it's fun. It's a friendly rivalry and a respectful rivalry. [Oklahoma head coach] Sherri [Coale] does a great job, they're always prepared and ultra-competitive. This is really going to be a great game and we need to hold our home court."
On the importance of playing well on Texas Exes Weekend …
"It's always important when our Exes come back to value that opportunity to play in front of them, and our players have always done that. I think it's really meant a lot to them to perform well when so many of them are in the stands and you hear so much about how proud they are to be a Longhorn. They even begin to have conversations with our players about where we are right now as a program and how proud they are. I think it gives them a little added incentive on Exes day."
On wanting to perform well in front of the home crowd …
"They know they should have played better on Sunday in front of 9,000 people. If you keep up with us, we're 17-1. It's a team that's not going to go away. We're going to continue to play hard and we're going to continue to try to make our fans proud."
On giving away two $500 scholarships to students at Saturday's game …
"It's just some added incentive to try to get our students involved. If we can gain some student-body involvement in our games, it makes it more exciting. They're crazy and they get in here and holler. It does add a different element to the crowd when you do have students in the crowd. If they come over here and like our team, maybe they'll come back."
Senior Guard Celina Rodrigo
On the team's preparation for Saturday's game against No. 19 Oklahoma …
"We're feeling really good about it as a team, coming off a great win against TCU. I think we're all very motivated. The game's going to be competitive on Saturday – both teams know that – and we're just ready to get out there."
On the importance of the win on Wednesday against TCU …
"It was definitely a quality win for us because we didn't want to be in the same situation we were last year where we let one loss turn into two. Just coming out of there with that win was a huge motivation for us."
