The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
McNeese State
No. 2 Women's Basketball preview: McNeese State
11.13.2017 | Women's Basketball
Longhorns and Cowgirls meet for annual 40 Acres Field Trip presented by Southwest Dairy Farmers.
No. 2/6 Texas Longhorns (1-0) vs. McNeese State Cowgirls (1-0)
Time: Wednesday, November 15, 2017 | 11 a.m. CT
Location: Austin, Texas | Frank Erwin Center (16,540)
TV: Longhorn Network (Alex Loeb, Nell Fortner)
Radio: 105.3 FM (Craig Way, Kathy Harston)
Game Notes | WatchESPN | Live Stats | Live Audio | Tickets
The No. 2/6 University of Texas women's basketball team plays host to McNeese State on Wednesday for the program's annual 40 Acres Field Trip game presented by Southwest Dairy Farmers. Tip-off at the Frank Erwin Center is slated for 11 a.m. CT and the game will be nationally televised by Longhorn Network.
The game will feature nearly 5,400 fourth through seventh graders, representing 55 different schools, including 29 schools in the Austin ISD. The students are treated to a unique experience promoting higher education and gain exposure to college athletics.
"It's one of my favorite days of the year," Texas head coach Karen Aston said. "It's reaching out to the community and it's really important to our team. It gives the young kids in the community a chance to see the University of Texas and get an eye-opening experience being around the university."
Texas is coming off a 95-59 win against Stetson in the season opener on Sunday. The Longhorns, who set a school record with 33 points in the first quarter, were led by five players in double-figure scoring. Junior guard Lashann Higgs led the way with 18 points. Texas shot 48.2 percent (40-for-83) from the field and out-rebounded the Hatters 51-25.
Texas and McNeese State are meeting for the sixth time in the history of the two programs and the first time since 2004. The Longhorns are 5-0 all-time against the Cowgirls. Texas also is 49-9 (.845) all-time against teams in the current alignment of the Southland Conference.
McNeese State is coming off a 14-17 record a year ago and was predicted to finish sixth in the Southland Conference this season. The Cowgirls, who return six letterwinners from a year ago, opened the season with a 76-61 victory against Southern University-New Orleans. Senior Mercedes Rogers led four players in double figures with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
QUICK NOTES
- Texas women's basketball is set to begin its 44th season of intercollegiate basketball.
- Texas is one of just eight programs in NCAA Division I women's basketball history to reach 1,000 all-time wins. Texas ranks fifth all-time in NCAA history with 1,038 all-time victories.
- The Longhorns have made 30 all-time NCAA Tournament appearances, which is fourth-most of any program in NCAA D-I Women's Basketball history.
- Texas head coach Karen Aston is 115-55 (.676) now in her sixth season at the helm of the Longhorns. She is the program's second-winningest coach in UT history behind Jody Conradt's 783 victories on the Forty Acres.
- The 2016-17 Longhorns tied the school record for most Big 12 wins in a season at 15. The 2002-03 and 2015-16 squads also posted 15 Big 12 victories.
- Texas has advanced to three consecutive NCAA Sweet 16s for the first time since the 2002, 2003 and 2004 campaigns.
- Over the past two seasons, Texas has earned 14 wins against foes ranked in the Associated Press Top-25.
- Senior guard Brooke McCarty has 183 career three-pointers made, which ranks sixth in school history in that category. She needs to make seven more threes to surpass Heather Schreiber (189 from 2001-05) for fifth place all-time.
- McCarty ranks fourth in program history in three-point percentage at 40.3 percent (183-of-454) and is one of just four players in program history (Jamie Carey, Kat Nash and Vicki Hall are the others) to shoot better than 40 percent from beyond the arc for her career. Current UT assistant Jamie Carey is the school's all-time three-point field goal percentage leader at 41.8 percent.
- Senior guard Ariel Atkins is 17 points away from becoming the 43rd player in program history to join the school's 1,000-point club.
- Atkins ranks fifth in school history in career free-throw percentage at 82.2 percent (198-of-241) and is one of just five players in program annals to shoot better than 82 percent from the line for her career.
