Women’s basketball blasts Alabama State, 86-42, in NCAA first round

By Steve Lansdale

AUSTIN, Texas — Sophomore forward Ariel Atkins scored a game-high 15 points, leading four Longhorns scoring in double figures, to help lead the University of Texas women’s basketball team to an easy 86-42 victory over Alabama State in the first round of the NCAA women’s basketball championship at the Frank Erwin Center.

Texas head coach Karen Aston understandably found a lot to like in her team’s performance.

“I thought our team [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level1)]was really ready to play, and our starters got us off to a good start,” Aston said. “It took us a half to sort of settle into the discipline of the game, and once we did that, I think we played pretty good basketball. I thought they had a good rhythm the entire evening.”

The No. 7/7 Longhorns, seeded second in the Sioux Falls bracket of the tournament, improved their record to 29-4 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament for the third consecutive season. UT is 36-27 all-time in NCAA tournament games, including a 20-9 games when hosting.

Texas will face No. 10 seed Missouri at 8 p.m. Monday in the second round, in a game that will be broadcast live on ESPN2.

The 44-point margin was the Longhorns’ biggest in 13 years.

All 13 Texas players who were eligible scored at least two points. In addition to Atkins’ 15 points, the UT offense was led by guard Empress Davenport’s 13 points, 12 from Brooke McCarty and 10 from guard Lashann Higgs.

Danielle Clark was the only Alabama State player to score in double figures, tallying 13.

Alabama State head coach Freda Freeman-Jackson commended the Longhorns, and pointed to UT’s 50-29 edge in rebounding and 40-4 margin in points the paint as an indication of UT’s complete dominance.

“I thought it was a hard-fought ballgame,” Freeman-Jackson said. “Our girls played extremely hard. It was a night that we were just out-manned, and they outrebounded us. We normally outrebound teams, (but) you’re talking about 50 rebounds to 29, so it was just a situation, Texas, they was ready to play. We did everything we can do, but they were on fire and we just couldn’t even catch a break at all. So I just have to commend Texas on a job well done.”

Three of the four Texas players scoring in double figures were guards, but it was inside where the Longhorns absolutely dismantled their opponents, which Atkins said was by design.

“I think we made it a point to, because they were all … their tallest player is probably 6-2 at most,” Atkinsa said. “So I think we kind of made it a point to try to get points in the paint and not shoot so many outside jumpers and just be disciplined to take what we could.”

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