No. 8 Longhorns bounce back in second half to pull past Kansas State

By Blanche Schaefer

AUSTIN, Texas — The No. 8/7 Longhorns pulled off the comeback they failed to muster last week against Oklahoma, defeating Kansas State, 58-51, Wednesday night behind a strong second-half rally and a season-best 12-point performance from senior guard Brady Sanders. The Longhorns struggled to find a rhythm in the first half, but Texas head coach Karen Aston said she didn’t see the same sluggishness Texas showed Sunday against the Sooners.

“We were not sluggish tonight,” Aston said. “We played [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level1)]anxious, and we weren’t confident. We started good, and then we got anxious when the shots didn’t go in, and then it snowballed on us. We didn’t help each other defensively.”

Texas shot just 25 percent (6-for-24) from the field in the first half, compared to Kansas State’s 38 percent. KSU junior guard Breanna Lewis had 18 points by halftime, equaling UT’s first-half team total as the Longhorns headed off the court trailing, 27-18. Sanders said the players knew they needed to adjust before Aston even arrived in the locker room.

“We regrouped at half,” Aston said. “We had some conversations about helping our post players and being at the right place at the right time defensively and getting connected — the press energized us.”

The Longhorns chipped away at the deficit to end the third quarter tied at 39. Sophomore guard Ariel Atkins scored eight consecutive points and junior center Kelsey Lang had back-to-back layups to lead a 13-5 Texas run. The Longhorn defense limited Lewis to two points from the free-throw line the entire second half. Lang said getting Lewis out of her comfort zone to limit her offensive production was a key discussion with the coaching staff at halftime.

“If (Lewis) is out of her comfort zone, it’s harder for her to get the layup she wants,” Lang said. “If she’s farther out of the paint when she puts it on the floor, it gives our guards an opportunity to dig (in) on her. I tried my hardest to keep her as far out as I could, so our guards would have an opportunity to help me.”

UT pulled ahead for good in the fourth, outscoring the Wildcats, 19-12, in the final period. Sanders’ two points from the charity stripe with 4:55 remaining put Texas up, 45-43, and the Longhorns took off from there. The Wildcats clawed back to pull within one point, 47-46, but a slew of UT free throws gave Texas the final advantage, capping the win at 58-51.

UT shot 36 percent from the field, connecting on 20 of 55 shots from the floor. Senior center Imani Boyette — UT’s leading scorer with an average 12.6 points per game — played only 19 minutes, but tallied 10 points, despite recent struggles on the court.

“People get in slumps, people struggle, but that’s the beauty of being on a team — especially this team,” Sanders said. “We have each other’s backs. Tonight, we were able to pull it out and get the win.”

The win improved UT’s record to 23-2 overall and 12-2 in Big 12 games, marking the first time since 2004-05 that Texas has reached 12 conference wins.  The Longhorns now turn their attention to West Virginia at 12 p.m. Sunday in Austin as the final stretch of conference games finish up.

“As long as we get the win, that’s all that really matters,” Sanders said. “It’s not hard to stay motivated when I know how special this team is, and this is the last chance that we have as a whole to go far.”

[/s2If]

[s2If !current_user_can(access_s2member_level1)]

[article-offer]

[/s2If]