Women’s basketball defeats Kansas, becomes fifth program to reach 1,000 wins

By Blanche Schaefer

AUSTIN, Texas — Senior center Imani Boyette made snow angels in the burnt orange and white confetti on the court as the Longhorns celebrated a historic evening in program history. The No. 6 Texas women’s basketball team defeated Kansas, 70-46, Wednesday night in Austin, becoming just the fifth team in NCAA women’s basketball history to earn 1,000 program wins.

“It humbles you, and you see how blessed you are to be in such a historic program,” Boyette said. “For us to be considered good enough to play here and represent Texas is amazing.”[s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level1)]

The milestone was tangible at the beginning of the season when Texas had 981 wins, but Texas head coach Karen Aston said it didn’t become a goal until midseason. The players kept an even keel and didn’t become distracted, even with the magnitude of the achievement looming.

“I’m happy it’s been accomplished, but it hasn’t been a distraction,” Aston said. “It was an unexpected goal that wasn’t necessarily written down or talked about when we started the season. It became a goal in the middle of it, and it’s just one to check off. We’re like that with our goal-setting — when we accomplish something, we’ll check it off and look toward the next one.”

UT’s next goal: a championship — as Boyette noted her postgame antics were “just practice” for future celebrations. Even with over-arching season goals, focusing on the game in front of them has been the Longhorns’ mentality all season. That was no different tonight, as Texas dominated Kansas from start to finish.

Senior guard Empress Davenport weaved around Kansas defenders to score a layup in the first 10 seconds of the game. Sophomore guard Brooke McCarty nailed a three-pointer on the next possession off a Davenport dish to give Texas an early 5-0 lead. McCarty would add two more three-pointers in the quarter, scoring nine of UT’s 20 first-quarter points.

The Jayhawks came out hot in the second period with consecutive three-pointers to pull within five points (20-15) with 7:45 until halftime. But those were the only points they would score in the quarter. The Longhorns went on a 19-0 tear to take a 39-15 lead into the locker room.

“We played some really good basketball in spurts,” Aston said. “(In) the second quarter, we really separated ourselves and were able to hang on.”

The scoring stalled mid-third quarter as each team went scoreless for two minutes until consecutive threes from Kansas sophomore guard Lauren Aldridge broke the scoreless streak. Aldridge finished the night with 15 points on 5-of-8 efficiency from behind the arc. The Longhorns closed the quarter on an 11-3 run and headed into the final period with a commanding 56-32 berth over the Jayhawks.

Aston emptied her bench in the fourth quarter, and every eligible player on the Texas roster saw playing time in the game. Senior guard Brady Sanders, who has seen limited minutes since coming back from injury, scored six points in the final quarter. Freshman guard Lashann Higgs capped the historic 70-46 Texas win with a layup.

“The best part about tonight was that everybody got to be a part of it,” Aston said. “All the players had a chance to get on the floor, and it will a memory they’ll have forever.”

Boyette tallied her 12^th double-double of the season, registering 16 points and 10 rebounds. McCarty put up 13 points, including three triples.

“I’m proud I can say I played for Texas under Coach Aston for four years,” Boyette said. “Every time one of these moments happens, I just feel pride. I’m going to miss being a player here, but I’m excited to go into the world and say, ‘I’m a Texas Ex, I played for the Longhorn team when we won 1,000 wins.’”

With the 1,000-win goal checked off, the Longhorns return their focus to the Big 12 schedule in front of them. Texas travels to Manhattan, Kansas, to face Kansas State at 7 p.m., Jan. 30, before a week-long break. UT then plays Iowa State at 1:30 p.m. Feb. 6 in Ames, Iowa.

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