The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
3-4
Tennessee
4-4
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | 12 | 20 | 14 | 21 | 67 |
| Texas | 22 | 15 | 11 | 24 | 72 |
No. 17/17 Women’s Basketball picks up win over Tennessee, 72-67
12.11.2016 | Women's Basketball
Five Longhorns scored in the double-digits in the conquest.
Box Score (PDF) | Postgame Notes | Postgame Quotes | Photo Gallery
AUSTIN, Texas – Five Longhorns scored in the double-figures as No. 17/17 Texas Women's Basketball (3-4) held off Tennessee (4-4) inside the Erwin Center on Sunday afternoon, 72-67.
Although Tennessee has the 23-15 edge over Texas in series history, this is the third consecutive meeting the Longhorns have won over the Lady Vols. Texas possesses a 144-72 (.667) record all-time against members of the Southeastern Conference.
"I think that this win is, first of all, much needed for our team," said Texas head coach Karen Aston. "This was just a little bit of a preview of what our games might be like for a while, and that's not a bad thing. It was a good learning experience for our young players."
Junior Brooke McCarty posted 13 points, including two treys, along with four blocks and assists on the match. Freshman Jada Underwood joined her with 13 points of her own, good for her new career high.
Senior Kelsey Lang notched another impressive performance, just two shy of her third-straight double-double with 12 points and eight rebounds. Lang also tied her career-high with six blocks white adding two assists and one steal for the game in a career-high 40 minutes of play.
Freshman Joyner Holmes flirted with her first career double-double, registering 12 points and eight boards. Sophomore Lashann Higgs totaled 12 points, including a 5-of-10 effort from the field.
As a team, Texas shot 45.2 percent (28-of-62) from the floor while holding Tennessee to a 41.8 shooting percentage (28-of-67). Texas outrebounded the Lady Vols, 40-32, and has won the battle of the boards in all seven matches this season.
The Lady Vols were led by junior Jaime Nared with 22 points.
The Longhorns jumped out on an 11-2 run early in the game capped off by a tip-in from Holmes headed into the media timeout. Underwood knocked down the last four points for Texas to close the first stanza in the Horns' favor, 22-12.
Texas took its largest lead of the game at the 6:10 mark of the second quarter when a jumper from freshman Alecia Sutton put Texas on top by 15 (31-16). Tennessee slowly chipped into the Longhorn lead, converting three from downtown, to close the gap to five points headed into the locker rooms, 37-32 Texas.
The Lady Vols opened the second half on a 7-0 rally to take their first lead of the game (39-37) with 6:19 left in the third. From there, it remained a one-possession game, and a buzzer-beater from Higgs put Texas on top headed into the final stretch, 48-46.
After things evened at 52 with 7:36 remaining in the game, the Horns widened their edge to as many as eight (66-58) after a three-point play from Holmes. Tennessee continued to find its strength from behind the arc, knocking down three triples in just over a minute, to make it a 70-67 Texas with 7.3 seconds on the game clock. Underwood put things on ice with two from the charity stripe to end the game, 72-67 Longhorns.
Up next, Texas will continue its homestand against UT Rio Grande Valley on Thursday, Dec. 15. Tip-off inside the Erwin Center is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised nationally on Longhorn Network.
