Women’s basketball rebounds from OU loss, blasts West Virginia

By Steve Lansdale

AUSTIN, Texas — Sophomore guard Brooke McCarty scored a game-high 18 points to lead the No. 8/7 Texas Longhorns to a 73-50 rout of West Virginia Sunday at the Frank Erwin Center.

The victory improved UT’s season record to 24-4 overall, and 13-2 against Big 12 teams, and gave the Longhorns their first sweep in the history of their series with WVU.

“We have been trying [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level1)]to find our energy and personality back again, and I think we found it today,” Texas head coach Karen Aston said. “We seemed to play stress-free and really focused. I wouldn’t even begin to point out an individual, because our team was really good. We did everything we were supposed to do from a game plan perspective, and our decision-making, offensively, was terrific. It was an overall complete game for our team.”

Aston said she wouldn’t single out an individual, but did … somewhat begrudgingly.

“What was really good was her being aggressive, along with the rest of our guards, and not thinking whether something is a good shot. Our team found her because they were patient and made extra passes, and some of it was her creation. She was terrific today … along with our team.”

Center Imani Boyette scored 12 points but fell two rebounds shy of another double-double, while guard Ariel Atkins scored 10 to give the Longhorns three double-digit scorers. Boyette also blocked three shots, and said that her improved play on the defensive end actually has helped her slumping offense get untracked.

“I just have been really frustrated the past couple of games because I think my role is being a defensive stopper, and people were scoring on me. I place all of my value as a basketball player being a defensive stopper, so it was hard for me to get going offensively because I couldn’t get going defensively. But my teammates have been really patient with me and have been working with me. I have been living in the gym more lately. It just has been really great because Coach still believes in me and my teammates still believe in me.”

The loss was an impressive turnaround for the Longhorns after their loss to Oklahoma, but Aston deflected credit for the rebound to her players.

“It was player-driven,” she said. “They had some team building with Fran [Harris] and on their own. It’s a long season, and even though the Oklahoma game was a disappointing loss sometimes you just aren’t your best, and it’s not something to over analyze when you are fairly consistent the entire year. We played bad, and we all knew it. They have their goals, and they weren’t going to throw them away because of one loss. They are a great team. They do what they need to do. They stay in the gym extra, and I think it was just a matter of them deciding to relax a little bit.”

The Longhorns are back in action at 6:30 Wednesday, when they travel to Lubbock to face Texas Tech in a game that will be carried live on Fox Sports Southwest Plus.

[/s2If]

[s2If !current_user_can(access_s2member_level1)]

[article-offer]

[/s2If]