No. 19 Texas women’s basketball team battles No. 12 Oklahoma for first place in the Big 12
The 19th-ranked Texas women’s basketball team will bring some needed, late-season momentum into play Saturday when it squares off against No. 13 Oklahoma in a key Big 12 Conference dustup in Norman, Okla.
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The Longhorns (21-7, 12-3 Big 12) and Sooners are tied atop the league standings and are two games clear of third-place Oklahoma State with three regular-season contests to play. Texas pounded then-No. 14 Oklahoma 78-58 at home on Jan. 25; that victory was the second of a season-best seven-game winning streak for the Longhorns.
“So you’re going up against a really mature basketball team in Oklahoma, and they’ve got the same championship in their sights that we do,” Texas coach Vic Schaefer said. “It should be a great matchup. I’m excited about the opportunity – I love my team right now, and I’m excited to take them in there and see what we can do.”
Texas is projected to be a three-seed in ESPN’s latest Bracketology for the NCAA Women’s Tournament while the Sooners are picked as a four-seed. Seven teams from the Big 12 are projected to earn berths in the field of 68 for the Big Dance.
The Longhorns have won eight of their past nine games, the most recent a 74-48 swamping of West Virginia at home on Sunday. Texas rebounded from a 66-61 loss at Iowa State on Feb. 13 by limiting the Mountaineers to 26.8 percent shooting from the floor.
“I thought we looked fresh,” Schaefer said. “We were ready to go, came out of the gates really well. Really happy with my team and happy for them. They’re fun to watch and, boy, they played really well. Really, really well for three out of the four quarters. We kind of got a little stale the second quarter but man, after that we were rolling.”
It was the 17th time this year that the Longhorns have limited an opponent to 59 points or fewer in a game.
Shaylee Gonzales led all scorers with 18 points in the win over West Virginia while Rori Harmon added 16 and Khadija Faye racked up a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Ten of Faye’s points and seven of her rebounds came in the first quarter as Texas started the game with a 15-2 run and never looked back.
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It was Texas’ largest margin of victory since beating Kansas State 87-41 (46 points) on New Year’s Eve.
“We beat a really good West Virginia team,” Schaefer added. “Right now they’re projected to be in the NCAA tournament, and we had a knockdown, drag out with them up there in Morgantown. On Sunday, we played about as good as we’ve played in a while and that’s really encouraging.”
Schaefer said the Longhorns’ loss at Iowa State prepared his team for what he expects in Norman on Saturday afternoon.
“We’ve won some good games on the road in front of some really hostile environments, so I’ll be shocked if it bothers us,” he explained. “I think the Iowa State experience will resonate with us, and I’d be real surprised if being on the road affects how we play. Now, Oklahoma might, and again they’re really good and playing at an incredibly high level.”
After Saturday’s battle, Texas will come home to face Baylor on Monday for Senior Night.
Schaefer had earlier this season pledged $10,000 if there are 10,000 fans at the Moody Center for the game. On Thursday it was announced that Schaefer has received five matching donations of $10,000 and the UT Silver Spurs have pledged $80,000 for a total of $140,000.
Money raised will go to the Neighborhood Longhorns Program. Last year $135,500 was raised in the Longhorns 10K for 10K game.
