No. 6 women’s basketball looks ahead after 1,000th win

By Blanche Schaefer

The No. 6 Longhorns walked off the court Jan. 27 at the Frank Erwin Center in a shower of confetti after earning the program’s 1,000^th win with a victory over Kansas, becoming only the fifth team in the history of NCAA women’s basketball to achieve that milestone. Even so, it was just another check mark on a list of goals for UT this season.

“We’re like that with our goal setting,” Texas head coach Karen Aston said. “When we seemed to accomplish something that’s part of what we are trying to do, we’ll check it off and look toward the next one.”[s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level1)]

The Longhorns’ ultimate goal is a national title, but Texas still has eight regular-season games to play before the Big 12 championship tournament. The numbers bode well so far: UT is ranked No. 5 in the first of three NCAA women’s basketball committee rankings behind a quartet of teams that includes top-ranked Connecticut and Big 12 foe Baylor. The first set of rankings provides a glimpse into how tournament seeding could pan out and sets a benchmark as Texas moves forward in its conference schedule. The Longhorns now are focused on maintaining — and improving upon — their level of play after reaching their 1,000-win goal.

“We definitely have a special team this year,” senior guard Celina Rodrigo said. “We’re just going to build on it from here. (Reaching 1,000 wins) was a great milestone, but we’re looking forward to getting even more wins.”

Texas has mowed through conference opponents since the Jan. 17 loss to Baylor accounted for the lone blemish in UT’s record (20-1 overall, 9-1 against Big 12 opponents). Three days later, the Longhorns rebounded to earn their first win ever in Fort Worth over TCU, 65-58, in one of UT’s closest contests of the season.

Texas then defeated rival No. 19 Oklahoma, 83-76, Jan. 23 in Austin on Texas Exes Day. Seniors Empress Davenport and Imani Boyette put up 18 points each, and Boyette added 11 rebounds for a double-double. Four Longhorns scored in double digits, but Texas was far from perfect, turning the ball over 25 times and giving up 27 points off turnovers. The defense also allowed 36 points in the paint.

“We obviously need to look at film and try to clean up — in particular — the turnovers,” Aston said after the game. “We fouled too much, and we allowed way too many paint points.”

The Longhorns did more than reduce turnovers. UT earned its 1,000^th program win Jan. 27, taking down Kansas, 70-46. Texas also cut its turnovers to 18 (from 25 against OU) and only gave up 10 points off turnovers. Every eligible player on UT’s roster saw court time, and Boyette recorded her 12^th double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds. The historic win was capped with an emotional video tribute on the big screen displaying images from women’s basketball legend and former head coach Jody Conradt’s time at Texas.

“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.’”

Texas followed its big night with a 66-51 road win Jan. 30 over Kansas State. Aston said junior center Kelsey Lang made the difference for UT after the post scored 10 points and brought down six rebounds in a solid defensive performance. Sophomore Brooke McCarty also had a standout night, leading all scorers with 15 points to go along with seven rebounds.

“I thought this would be a difficult game for us,” Aston said. “We’ve been on a really long stretch and not a lot of rest. I was really pleased with Kelsey Lang — she came in and asserted herself in the first half, and she gave us some stability.”

The Longhorns got the rest they needed, taking a week off before preparing to face Iowa State for the second time this season Jan. 6. UT defeated the Cyclones, 75-64, in Austin, but Texas hasn’t won in Ames since 2009. The Longhorns will try to break that streak when they hit the road Feb. 6 to play the Cyclones. Aston emphasized the importance of winning on the road, especially since Texas struggled on opponents’ courts last season. Aston said the players have done a better job preparing this year for road games.

“(Last year) we were real good at home and could not win a road game,” Aston said. “(This year) we’ve actually been pretty consistent on the road. I’m real proud of our team right now — I’m pleased with how our (players are) preparing themselves.”

[/s2If]

[s2If !current_user_can(access_s2member_level1)]

[article-offer]

[/s2If]