The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
15-7,7-3Big 12
Texas Tech
14-7,3-7Big 12
Women’s Basketball rallies for 81-66 win at Texas Tech
02.09.2020 | Women's Basketball
Longhorns, down by 11, take a third-quarter lead and then dominate the fourth quarter.
LUBBOCK, Texas – Down by 11 points, Texas put together a 19-2 run to span the end of the second quarter and the beginning of the third -- and then held off several Texas Tech challenges to win a Big 12 Conference game, 81-66, on Sunday afternoon at United Supermarkets Arena.
Sug Sutton scored 20 points, Lashann Higgs 14, Celeste Taylor 11 and Charli Collier 10 for Texas (15-7, 7-3). Brittany Brewer contributed 23 for Texas Tech (14-7, 3-7).
The Longhorns got off to a slow start, scoring first at the 7:27 mark of the first quarter and falling behind by as much as seven midway through the period. However, two baskets by Taylor helped Texas narrow the Lady Raiders' advantage to one point with 1:33 left. Texas Tech then rallied to lead, 22-16, at the end of the initial quarter.
Texas fell behind by 11 points halfway through the second quarter, but a period-ending 7-0 Longhorn streak sent Texas into the locker room trailing by only one point, 39-38. Taylor paced UT with 10 first-half points. Sutton had eight.
Texas took its first lead of the game on the initial scoring play of the third quarter, a jumper by Higgs. That basket was part of a 12-2 scoring run that put Texas ahead by nine during the first five minutes of the quarter. Texas Tech then outscored the Horns, 9-1, to close the UT margin to one. Texas scored the period's last four points, a second-chance layup by Jada Underwood and a jumper by Sutton, to give UT a 63-58 lead after three quarters.
After a Lady Raider three pointer opened the fourth quarter, cutting the Texas lead to 63-61, the Longhorns held Texas Tech to five points for the reminder of the game.
KEY STATISTICS
- The Longhorns started Collier, Taylor, Sutton, Underwood and Joyner Holmes.
- Texas leads the all-time series with Texas Tech, 75-29.
- The Longhorns have won 14 consecutive meetings in the series, including a 92-66 victory in Austin on Jan. 15.
- Texas outscored Texas Tech, 18-8, in the fourth quarter.
- Texas won the rebounding battle, 43-32, despite being out-rebounded, 22-19, in the first half.
- Holmes (8) and Collier (6) combined for 14 rebounds, despite missing playing time because of four fouls each.
- Texas hit 45 percent of its field goal attempts. Texas Tech shot 44 percent.
- Texas scored 46 points in the paint, 27 bench points and 15 second-chance points.
TEXAS HEAD COACH KAREN ASTON
"What flipped for you guys when you were down by 11 in the second quarter and then went on that run?"
"Even though we made the one run and then they answered it, I thought that changed the game for us. We cut it to one with a couple of steals, especially Lashann's steal. That loosened us up a bit. We've been off for nine days, so I expected a little bit of game rust. That's what it looked like early in the game. But the energy decisively changed. Even though we didn't take the lead [after the first run], I thought it changed our aggressiveness in general. Maybe going to four guards changed it, especially spreading the floor. That's something we did against them in the first game when we started the small lineup against them. We didn't do that today, and we probably should have. I just thought our wheels got turning better in the midst of that [comeback].
Question for Lashann Higgs: "When you guys were down by double digits early, what was the message for the team?"
"We had to reassure each other that runs like this happen in games. You can't fall because of them. You've got to stay together and keep the connections. We told each other that as long as we got the stops, that will create the energy – and that's what happened."
UP NEXT
Texas returns to action on Wednesday when it plays host to Iowa State. Tip-off in the Frank Erwin Center is slated for 7 p.m. CT and the game will be nationally televised by LHN. The game will be available on radio at 105.3 FM in Austin and online at TexasSports.com/audio.
