The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Basket Costa
Women's Basketball preview: Basket Costa
08.18.2017 | Women's Basketball
Texas and Basket Costa meet on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. CT.
Game Notes (PDF) | @TexasWBB on Twitter | Texas Women's Basketball on Facebook | Horns In Italy Central
VENICE, Italy – The Texas women's basketball team on Saturday will play its third and final game as part of a 10-day international trip to Italy. The Longhorns will face Basket Costa, a professional team that is a member of Italy's Serie A2 league and based in Costa Masnaga, Italy. Tip-off is slated for 11:30 a.m. CT at the Costa Masnaga Sport Center. The game will be broadcast live on the Texas Women's Basketball Facebook page with Fran Harris on the call.
Texas (1-1 on Italy tour) is coming off an 88-56 win against FSG Academy [Holland] on Wednesday in Ponte Buggianese, Italy, in which five Longhorns scored in double figures, led by junior post Jatarie White's 16 points and 12 rebounds.
White is Texas' leading scorer and rebounder on the Italy tour, averaging 16.0 points per game and 12.5 boards per game. Sophomore guard Alecia Sutton follows with 13.5 points per game and 4.5 assists per game. The Longhorns have averaged 53 rebounds per game over the two-game stretch.
"We're over here to learn and enjoy the culture in Italy, and we've really enjoyed ourselves with that," Texas head coach Karen Aston said. "The players have had a good time, the staff has had a good time, and you just want to continue to relax, enjoy the experience and not get too stressed out about what's happening in basketball. On a side note to that – teaching moments. The moments that are coming during the games are helpful. I think the film will be helpful as we move forward in the fall. I think this has been a great experience for us."
The Longhorns made their third consecutive NCAA Sweet 16 appearance a year ago and posted a 25-9 overall record. Texas has advanced to three Sweet 16s in a row for the first time since 2002-04.
Texas has sent a nation-leading four players to participate on USA Basketball teams this summer. Freshman guard Destiny Littleton earned a gold medal as part of the USA U18 3x3 FIBA World Cup Team, while sophomores Joyner Holmes and Alecia Sutton were part of the silver medalist USA U19 FIBA World Cup Team.
Senior guard Ariel Atkins joined the Longhorns on Wednesday night after helping the USA Basketball U23 Team claim the inaugural Four Nations Tournament in Tokyo, Japan. She was one of 12 players to be selected for the USA Basketball U23 Team. Atkins will not play in Saturday's game against Basket Costa.
The incoming Texas freshmen - Rellah Boothe, Littleton and Chasity Patterson - were rated as the nation's No. 3 recruiting class of 2017, according to ESPN.com. Boothe, a 6-foot-3 forward, was rated the No. 3 prospect of the 2017 class, while Patterson, a 5-foot-6 guard, was the No. 4 overall recruit in 2017.
For complete information, including in-game updates and a post-game recap and highlights, follow @TexasWBB on Twitter. Keep up with the team's trip to Italy at www.hookem.at/HornsInItaly.
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 1,036 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 114-55 (.675) beginning 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 13 wins against foes ranked in the Associated Press Top-25.
- Senior guard Brooke McCarty has 181 career three-pointers made, which ranks sixth in school history in that category. She needs to make nine more threes to surpass Heather Schreiber (189 from 2001-05) for fifth place all-time.
- Senior guard Ariel Atkins is 26 points away from becoming the 43rd player in program history to join the school's 1,000-point club.
