The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
TK Hannover
Women's Basketball falls in overtime to TK Hannover
08.14.2017 | Women's Basketball
Junior Jatarie White leads Texas with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
ROME – Using a number of new players and different combinations, the Texas women's basketball team overcame a 10-point second-half deficit to force overtime, before falling to TK Hannover, a member of The Damen-Basketball-Bundesliga League in Germany, 52-50 in overtime, on Monday at the Stella Azzurra Sport Center in Rome.
"It was good to get the young kids in the action," Texas head coach Karen Aston said. "Obviously, we're without some returners here on this trip. I think every single person was in a new role from what they were last year. I'm pleased with the fact that we were able to get everybody in there, we saw what some people are capable of, and I'm probably most pleased that the freshmen didn't look as wide-eyed as I had expected. I thought they did some decent things. We'll be better in the next game just getting the jitters over with in the new roles."
Junior post Jatarie White, who saw her first game action in more than a year after transferring from South Carolina, recorded a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Sophomore guard Alecia Sutton, fresh off earning a silver medal with the USA Women's U19 National Team at the FIBA U19 World Cup, tallied 13 points, four rebounds and four assists.
As a team, Texas brought down 52 rebounds in the game.
"I think we were very young," White said. "A lot of our veterans were not able to play today, but I think we worked on a lot of things that we've been practicing. I think that we did a lot of little things like rebounding better and getting the ball in the post better, so those are some good things that we did today that we worked on in practice."
The Longhorns opened to a 6-0 lead at the 6:51 mark of the first quarter, which included four points from White. TK Hannover rallied with a 6-0 run of its own over the next six minutes to knot the score at 6-6 with 55 seconds remaining in the opening period. A three-pointer by sophomore guard Jada Underwood with 39 seconds left in the first quarter gave Texas a 9-6 advantage.
TK Hannover used a 10-2 run to begin the second quarter that put it in front 16-11. Sutton then connected on a three-point play at the 4:17 mark of the second quarter to bring Texas within two, 16-14. The teams traded baskets to end the quarter with TK Hannover ahead 21-16 heading into halftime.
Out of intermission, TK Hannover continued to build on its lead, moving in front by as many as 10 points (29-19) after a three-pointer by Melissa Jeltema with 7:55 left in the third period. The Longhorns began to whittle away at their deficit after freshman guard Chasity Patterson knocked down a pair of free throws and sophomore forward Jordan Hosey followed with a lay-up to bring Texas within seven, 31-24, with 2:44 remaining in the third quarter. After a TK Hannover hoop, Patterson made a basket and White connected on a put-back to bring the Longhorns within five points, 33-28, at the end of the third quarter.
A basket by White and a three-pointer by Hosey knotted the score at 33-all with 8:21 left in the game. After a TK Hannover free-throw, Sutton and Patterson made back-to-back shots to give Texas a 37-34 advantage. With Texas down 40-39 and 2:59 remaining, White connected on a turnaround jumper and then made a free-throw after a TK Hannover shot to tie the score at 42-42 and send the game into overtime.
Texas took an early 45-42 advantage in overtime, but Jeltema hit back-to-back threes to spark a 10-0 run by TK Hannover that put them ahead 52-45 with 1:01 left in the extra period. The Longhorns rallied with a 5-0 run that included a three-point play by Sutton and a basket by Underwood. Texas called timeout with five seconds remaining and possession of the ball, but was unable to get off a game-winning shot attempt.
Texas (0-1) returns to action on Wednesday when it faces FSG Academy, a preparatory school based in Apeldoorn, The Netherlands. Tip-off is slated for 11:30 a.m. CT at the Sandro Pertini Sport Center in Ponte Buggianese, Italy.
POST-GAME QUOTES
TEXAS HEAD COACH KAREN ASTON
"It was good to get the young kids in the action. Obviously, we're without some returners here on this trip. I think every single person was in a new role from what they were last year. Sug [Alecia Sutton] ran the point for us primarily today but did get into the off-guard position too. We had all the freshmen playing and then Jatarie, who obviously did not play last year. I'm pleased with the fact that we were able to get everybody in there, we saw what some people are capable of, and I'm probably most pleased that the freshmen didn't look as wide-eyed as I had expected. I thought they did some decent things. We'll be better in the next game just getting the jitters over with in the new roles."
On what the differences were between NCAA teams and what she saw from TK Hannover …
"I think they were probably the closest we will get to playing against an NCAA-caliber team. Their physicality was similar to what we'll see in the Big 12 and what we'll see in the NCAAs. They executed. They are professionals, so when it got down to execution time, they probably executed a little more frequently than we did down the stretch. But again, first-game jitters with a lot of new players and I thought we looked like it just in a sense of not making the right decisions at the right times. Maybe a little too antsy to shoot at times. I definitely don't think we took advantage of Jatarie White's presence down low. Even though she was the leading scorer, she could have had many more touches."
On Jatarie White's 16 points and 13 rebounds …
"That is what I've expected. I thought she fought through some fatigue today. It's hot and she had to play probably a little more minutes than I expected to play her. But that's pretty much what I thought Jatarie would be able to do for us. We'll learn how to use her better. We'll learn timing and those types of things offensively as we go along. Again, a lot of new guards."
On what she liked about the team's 10-point second-half comeback …
"I liked the plays that some of them made defensively. I was able to give Jada a little rest there and then she was able to come back and give us some good minutes there in overtime and late in the game. I thought Jordan's presence was good and that was good to see. One of the things about Jordan is that I've always loved her motor. I think she's found that back again. She did some good things. It was nice to see people make plays that didn't get playing time last year."
On what she'll talk about with her team before Wednesday's game against FSG Academy …
"We'll talk about execution offensively and just patience more than anything. I think we would have executed better had we been more patient, made a few more passes, thrown the ball inside a little bit more, and been at the right place at the right time. I think that's one thing we'll work on. I didn't think our defense was bad. Really, based on practices, I expected that to be the problem, and really it was our offensive execution."
On the play of the freshman class of Boothe, Littleton and Patterson …
"I was proud of the freshmen in general. I didn't think they made glaring mistakes. They didn't really make any more mistakes than anybody else did. They got lost a few times and they don't necessarily know how to pay attention while they're playing, in case we're making an adjustment mid-stream. As they get used to the pace of our game, I think people are going to see that they can make plays."
JUNIOR POST JATARIE WHITE
On her takeaways from Texas' 52-50 overtime loss to TK Hannover …
"I think we were very young. A lot of our veterans were not able to play today, but I think we worked on a lot of things that we've been practicing. I think that we did a lot of little things like rebounding better and getting the ball in the post better, so those are some good things that we did today that we worked on in practice."
On what the differences were between NCAA teams and what she saw from TK Hannover …
"They were a little bit more physical. They stuffed cuts a lot and they got in there and rebounded, but I thought it was good competition for us because it let the younger kids know they can't just come in and walk through plays, they have to come in and do everything hard and fast."
On seeing her first game action in a Texas uniform …
"I really had fun playing with my teammates. It was like getting back in the groove of things. Just taking things from practice and bringing them onto the court was something that I worked on during the game."
On the team's Italy trip so far …
"It's been great. It's my first time being in Italy and I love seeing the sights. The Colosseum, The Vatican, they were really eye-opening experiences."
On what she took away from the game that will help against FSG Academy on Wednesday …
"Definitely being a more vocal leader on the court, making sure that we do little things like sharing the ball, rebounding more. I think we definitely need to all work on that as a team."
