No. 6 women’s basketball improves to 22-1 with 70-55 win over Oklahoma State

By Blanche Schaefer

AUSTIN, Texas — No. 6 Texas walked away with another win Wednesday, but it didn’t come easily. The Longhorns defeated No. 20 Oklahoma State, 70-55, at the Frank Erwin Center to improve to 22-1 overall and 11-1 against the Big 12. Texas got off to a slow start for the second consecutive game and struggled to find a rhythm in the first quarter.

“We were a little bit frozen to start the game,” head coach Karen Aston said. “I don’t know if we were nervous because we knew this was going to be a very challenging game, or whether we needed our motors to start going like I had been talking about, but once they got jolted into reality that this was going to be one of those ‘every possession’ games I think they got into it.”[s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level1)]

Texas scored first on a jumper by senior guard Empress Davenport, but the Longhorns trailed for most of the first quarter, falling behind by as many as six points. Freshman Jordan Hosey nabbed a steal that led to a layup by sophomore guard Ariel Atkins to trim the deficit to 12-8. A jumper by Atkins later in the quarter gave Texas a 13-12 lead, but a 7-2 Oklahoma State run put the Cowgirls ahead, 19-15, at the end of the quarter.

The momentum shifted in UT’s favor in the second quarter. Texas outscored Oklahoma State, 16-8, thanks in part to a 10-0 run early in the quarter. Sophomore guard Brooke McCarty scored six points in the quarter, including a a shot just before the shot clock expired that tied the game at 21 with 7:02 remaining in the period. The Longhorns rolled from there and headed into halftime with a 31-17 advantage.

“We settled defensively (in the second half),” Aston said. “We were a little bit lackadaisical in the rebounding category in the first half. We made better decisions (in the second half). The guards made good decisions, and we quit shooting jump shots so much and started to drive the basketball and make some extra passes.”

The Longhorns struggled from behind the arc all night, hitting just three of seven shots from long range — all in the second half. With 7:17 to play in the third, Atkins put the first three-pointer on the board for Texas. McCarty followed with a layup, sparking an 11-0 run to give the ‘Horns their first double-digit lead of the night, 44-32.

Texas continued to build on its lead throughout the fourth. Junior center Kelsey Lang spun off an Oklahoma State defender to sink a layup in the paint for her second consecutive bucket. Davenport and Atkins both added three-pointers to seal the victory, 70-55.

McCarty finished with a team-high 18 points and led the Longhorns with three assists and three steals, and Atkins put up 16 points. McCarty attributed her offensive performance to the mindset that associate head coach Travis Mays has instilled in the guards.

“We have an attacking mindset,” McCarty said. “I needed to do something to help our team win. I knew if I attacked I could get my teammates open. I know that Coach Travis (Mays) comes in every day and tells us that we have to be aggressive so us attacking opens up things for Imani (Boyette) and opens up things for other guards so we just have to keep attacking.”

Boyette, who leads the team with 12.8 points per game, played just 25 minutes after digging into foul trouble early. Aston said the team is adjusting to different defenses, with or without Boyette.

“Our team is starting to adjust and is taking whatever the defense gives them,” Aston said. “We had great contributions off the bench. We’re starting to get into a flow.”

Texas goes back on the road to face rival No. 21 Oklahoma at 1:30 p.m. Sunday. The Longhorns return home Feb. 17 to play Kansas State and West Virginia Feb. 21 in Austin.

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