Texas women’s basketball gears up to face Kansas, Oklahoma State this week

By Riley Zayas

AUSTIN, Texas — Forty minutes. The Texas women’s basketball team’s main goal at this point in the season is to play the entire 40 minutes of the game, a point of focus that head coach Karen Aston said she believes is crucial to any team’s success in conference play, and something she has long been emphasizing as her squad went through ups and downs early on.

“I think that’s what we’re all searching for at this time of the year,” Aston said. “Can you get your team to focus for 40 minutes?”

Following Sunday’s 71-63 win over Kansas State, the Longhorns will [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]prepare to take on another team from the Sunflower State when they host Kansas at 7 p.m. Wednesday in a game that will be broadcast on the Longhorn Network.

The Jayhawks are currently bringing up the rear in the Big 12 standings, with a 1-4 conference record, but shouldn’t be underestimated, especially considering the fact that they surged through a somewhat challenging non-conference schedule to start off the year. Following an exhibition loss to Pittsburg State, the Jayhawks went on a 12-game winning streak, including a win over Florida in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. But at the turn of the new year, that streak finally came to an end, at perhaps the worst possible time. The Jayhawks lost three in a row to begin Big 12 play. However, they are looking to get back on track following a 67-50 home victory Saturday afternoon over Texas Tech, and are hoping that victory can put them on course for another long winning streak in 2019-20.

KU’s starting five has been determined since the season’s opening tip-off as the same five players have started each one of the team’s 16 games this year. Senior forward Mariane De Carvalho, a native of Brazil, has been one of those five, not only bringing veteran leadership, but also a phenomenal shooting touch as the team’s third-leading three-point shooter with 19 treys this season. Alongside Carvalho at forward is Tina Stephens, a junior who not only has been good with the ball, but also on the boards. Rebounding has been one of UT’s strong suits throughout the season, so Stephens will have more than a challenge come Wednesday night. Stephens averages 7.3 rebounds per game, to go along with a 51 percent shooting percentage.

In the last meeting between these two teams Feb. 9, 2019, head coach Brandon Schneider’s Kansas squad fell to the Longhorns, 91-73, for the 14th straight time.

The Horns will play their third straight weekend road game at 1 p.m. Saturday when they head to Stillwater, Oklahoma to face Oklahoma State, which is 11-5 on the season. Sitting at .500 in conference play with a 2-2 record, the Cowgirls have played with consistency throughout all 16 games, even against heavyweights such as Oregon and Baylor. While OSU did not manage to pull out a victory against any of the three Power 5 opponents it played in non-conference, that experience will come in handy against the tough teams the Cowgirls will face in future Big 12 games. Interestingly, the Longhorns will be the fifth opponent from the Lone Star State this season for Oklahoma State, which also has played Lamar, Rice, Texas A&M and Baylor.

While she’s only a freshman, Micah Davis has been the Cowgirls’ primary point guard in recent games, as she’s an excellent ball handler. Despite not scoring a lot — she averages 2.3 points per game — this season, Davis has been behind many of their points, with 30 assists. The one converting on most of those assists into points has been junior forward Vivian Gray, the team’s leading scorer with an average of 19.5 points per game, including 23 points in a recent game against Kansas State. Playing on the wing, her matchup against Texas’ guards like Celeste Taylor and LaShann Higgs will be critical, as the guard play will greatly come into play.

Oklahoma State has been known to challenge Texas and keep the game close in recent years, although the Longhorns have won the past 10 meetings between the two.

“I think it’s just a matter of us approaching every game the same,” Aston said before her team took on Kansas State. “Obviously, you’re going to have different gameplans against each team, but I think the teams that are going to fare the best are the ones (that) can figure out how to have a 40-minute approach, no matter whether you’re at home, away, or who the opponent is.”
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