The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
No. 20/20 Oklahoma
No. 12 Women's Basketball preview: No. 20 Oklahoma [Jan. 17, 2017]
01.16.2017 | Women's Basketball
Longhorns and Sooners meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Frank Erwin Center.
No. 12/17 Texas Longhorns (12-4, 6-0 Big 12) vs. No. 20/25 Oklahoma Sooners (14-4, 5-1 Big 12)
Time: Tuesday, January 17, 2017 | 6 p.m. CT
Location: Austin, Texas | Frank Erwin Center (16,540)
TV: FS1 (Ron Thulin, Brenda VanLengen)
Radio: 105.3 FM (Roger Wallace, Fran Harris)
Game Notes | Live Stats | Live Audio | Tickets |
AUSTIN, Texas – Riding a 10-game winning streak and off to the best Big 12 Conference start in program history, the No. 12/17 University of Texas women's basketball team returns home to face No. 20/25 Oklahoma on Tuesday. Tip-off in the Frank Erwin Center is slated for 6 p.m. CT and the game will be televised by FS1.
Fans who donate a non-perishable food item at the game receive a coupon for a free Whataburger as part of canned food drives benefiting Central Texas. The first 100 students to Tuesday's game receive a free Texas koozie and a free meal from Newk's Eatery. The Longhorns also will participate in a postgame autograph session on the court following the game.
The Longhorns (12-4, 6-0 Big 12 Conference) are off to a 6-0 start in Big 12 play for the first time in program history. On three previous occasions – 2001-02, 2002-03 and 2015-16 – the Longhorns opened Big 12 play with 5-0 records.
Texas has won the rebound battle in 14 of its 16 games so far this season. The Longhorns hold a +12.3 margin on the boards this year, which ranks fourth nationally.
The Longhorns are led by junior guard Brooke McCarty, who is averaging a squad-best 13.6 points per game, which ranks 12th in the Big 12. She is shooting 46.4 percent from the field and has knocked down a team-high 34 three-pointers. McCarty ranks eighth in the Big 12 with 3.4 assists per game.
McCarty and junior guard Ariel Atkins both rank in the Big 12's top-15 in scoring, as Atkins follows with 12.6 points per game, which ranks 15th. Freshman guard/forward Joyner Holmes adds 11.1 points per game and 6.9 rebounds per game.
Senior center Kelsey Lang is the team's leading rebounder at 9.1 boards per game, to complement a team-high 35 blocks. In conference games only, Lang leads the league in rebounding at 10.7 boards per game.
Texas and Oklahoma meet for the 53rd time in the history of the two programs. The Longhorns lead the all-time series between the two teams 28-24 and have won four of the last six meetings. Texas is 15-9 all-time against the Sooners in Austin.
Oklahoma enters Tuesday's game with a 14-4 overall record and a 5-1 mark in Big 12 Conference play. The Sooners have won six of their last seven games, including a 66-45 win against Texas Tech on Saturday afternoon. Senior guard Peyton Little leads the Sooners in scoring and ranks 13th in the Big 12 with 13.6 points per game. Junior center Vionise Pierre-Louis is the team's leading rebounder at 8.5 rebounds per game and has six double-doubles on the year. Senior guard Maddie Manning is the Big 12 leader in steals at 2.4 swipes per game.
QUICK NOTES
• Texas women's basketball is in the midst of its 43rd season of intercollegiate basketball.
• The Longhorns have won 12 conference regular season titles and 10 conference tournament titles.
• Texas is one of just eight programs in NCAA Division I women's basketball history to reach 1,000 all-time wins. The Longhorns achieved the milestone on January 27, 2016. Texas ranks fifth all-time in NCAA history with 1,024 all-time victories.
• The Longhorns consistently play a rigorous non-conference schedule. The Longhorns' schedule consists of six non-conference opponents that advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 or further during the 2015-16 campaign.
• Texas head coach Karen Aston earned her 100th victory at Texas in the Longhorns' win against Oklahoma State on Jan. 10. She is 101-50 (.669) on the Forty Acres.
• Since the start of the 2013-14 season, Texas is 55-6 (.902) when playing in the Frank Erwin Center.
• Texas has won the rebound battle in 14 of its 16 games so far this season and holds a rebound margin of +12.3. The Longhorns rank fourth nationally in rebound margin.
• The Longhorns rank 18th nationally in blocked shots per game with 5.9 blocks per game.
• Texas is 1-4 this season against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top-25. The Longhorns were 7-5 (.583) against ranked foes last season.
• Senior center Kelsey Lang currently ranks eighth in UT school history with 146 career blocks. She needs 11 more blocks to surpass Joy Williams (156) for seventh place all-time.
• Lang has played in 120 games in her UT career. She needs to play in 13 more games to move into the all-time Texas top-10 list in career games played.
• Junior guard Brooke McCarty has 138 career three-pointers made, which ranks eighth all-time in UT school history. She needs 15 more three pointers to surpass Erika Arriaran (152) for seventh place all-time.
• McCarty ranks fourth in school history in three-point field goal percentage with a .394 clip (138-of-350). Current Texas assistant Jamie Carey holds the school record in three-point field goal percentage at .418. Just three players in UT history - Carey, Kat Nash and Vicki Hall - have shot better than .400 beyond the three-point arc for their careers.
• Up next, Texas travels to Lubbock, Texas, on Saturday to face Texas Tech for the second time this season. Tip-off in United Supermarkets Arena is slated for 6 p.m. CT.
