Texas hosts WVU during Alumni w/e

http://www.texassports.com/news/2017/1/27/no-12-womens-basketball-preview-no-22-west-virginia-jan-29-2017.aspx

http://www.wvusports.com/page.cfm?story=31738&cat=exclusives

 

The Alumni Game was a hoot! Not too many Alum playing, many who were there did not play..of course, Jamie Carey was playing & looked pretty gassed by the end of the game! All in all, it was nice to see the "old" players, from way, way back to just a few years ago...they are all really successful and stellar ladies..this program builds character and confidence besides basketball skills...kudos to Coach Conradt, Coach Goestenkors, and now Coach Aston for their lasting influences on the lives of these great players and ladies!!

 

http://www.dominionpost.com/Mountaineers-aim-to-avenge-Texas

And not a thing about this game in the AAS online.

They did do a story about the NCAAs and how the Horns are positioned to play at home but nothing about THIS game.

Their paper edition carried the starting lineups above the NCAA story so I guess Rick Cantu figures that counts as a game story. Really ridiculous coverage for a team in the top 15; on a school record conference winning streak and hosting a big conference game as well as honoring the alumni.

 

Any time you get frustrated about the current struggle's we (and everyone else) has with Baylor, look at the names listed in BBV's post, and then think about the coach/leadership in Waco. Would you trade? I don't care how many banners they end up hanging, you can't buy class. I mean, , you can call a pig, a duck. But at the end of the day it's still a pig. The integrity of this program has been a beacon, not just with Title IX, but for what women's athletics is at the highest level.

We Are Texas. And the women who have lead, and played in this program are Basketball Royalty.

 

This was as tough a game as I expected. Foul trouble really hindered both teams in the first half as both had key players sitting out mid way through the first quarter.

LaShann with 10 pts and Kelsey with 11 pts carried the offensive load for the Horns in the first half. Brooke (15 pts) and Joyner (10 pts) joined those two in double digit scoring for the game. Kelsey ended up with 13 pts, 8 rebs and two blocks. LaShann had a very balanced game: 10 pts, 2 rebs, 2 assists, 3 steals and one block.

Horns played 12 players and 11 scored at least 2 pts. Brooke and Ariel broke 30 minutes with 35 and 31 minutes, respectively. LaShann and Kelsey with 26 minutes each were the only others that played more than 20 minutes. Nine of the 12 players that got in the game got in for at least 10 minutes. WVU had nine players get in the game with eight playing at least 10 minutes.

Horns broke open the game in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter. They held WVU without a point while scoring 12 to go up 15 before WVU hit 1-2 FTs. Horns never let the lead fall below 12 pts the rest of the way.

This was a very physical game. I would guess the ice bath tubs will be popular today and maybe tomorrow. Ariel and Brianna were on the floor a lot in this game. The pressure the Horns put on WVU all game long was unrelenting, resulting in 23 TOs and 8 steals. Horns got their hands on several more but just missed taking it away. Of course, WVU is not too shabby in pressing themselves. They turned Texas over 18 times, including seven steals.

The game was won with defense. Horns held WVU to 18-46 (39.1%) while connecting on 26-55 (47.3). There was not much difference in 3pters (4-6 Tx to 3-7 WVU) or FTs (13-17 Tx to 15-21 WVU).

Especially in the fourth, when Texas drew away, WVU, in the first five minutes, had five TOs and missed two shots. In the last five minutes, the Mountaineers had two TOs, made 2-6 FGs, including a 3pter with 11 seconds left and were 3-4 from the FT line. They scored nine pts in the quarter while Texas closed with 21 pts.

Horns had 4118 in attendance, well above the average of just over 3500 up to date for conference games. Horns are now 10-0 in conference, another school record for the best start to conference in Big 12 games.

Next up is a trip to OSU.

 

I've said before, and I'll say it again...Joyner needs to be able to hit those 15 foot jump shots around the foul line. Teams keep sagging off of her when she gets the ball there. She is welcome to take that shot from opponents. With that said, she is a force to be reckoned with!! I love her game so much!!

 

Love the defense.
The Offense still need to improve.
In order to play with Baylor and UConn.

 

Glad to see us being more aggressive driving to the basked today than we were at TCU on Wednesday night. One of our better free throw shooting games for sure.

Ariel didn't have a good game scoring wise, but we're lucky other players did.

Higgs once again provided a huge spark offensively and defensively in the first half of a game when another player goes to the bench.

 

I forgot to record the game. Please give me a heads up if any of you see it's going to be replayed on LHN.

 

This team is good....Definitely not on par with the Baylor and UConn crowd, but they are on Teir II of women's college basketball landscape.

 

Hope you got Spectrum.
1 AM Monday on Fox College Sports Pacific 374
5 AM Monday on Fox College Sports Central 373
1 AM Tuesday on Fox College Sports Central 373
doesn't show up on the LHN at all. Maybe because LHN is ESPN, not Fox Sports.

 

Might look a few days into the guide. Usually the games that originally air on FS1, FSSW are on the LHN about 5 days later, which was the case of the TCU game which aired on Saturday.

The games on any of the ESPN network usually get aired on the LHN usually the same day or early the next morning while the ones on a different network require a few days in between. I'm sure it has something to do with contract requirements when it originally airs on a different network.

 

This makes the second time (including the OU game) that we've been in a dogfight, then raised our level of intensity in the fourth quarter to pull away for a significant final margin of victory. This, to me, is a very good indicator about our team's level of mental toughness. Loved the defense, the offensive adjustments, and the IMPROVED FREE THROWS! Good victory against a talented and well-coached opponent.

Oh... And the officiating (both ways) was some of the worst I've ever seen -- maybe THE worst!

 

Thanks Babhorn and Run Pincher. I'll be on the lookout for the replay of the game.

 

I'm going to miss her........hey........could.that be a lyric for a song? I guess on a Monday morning it is ok to think that way. But we only have 1-1/3 years of McCarty left. It seems I have a bias for point guard play.......make that "excellent" point guard play. How can anyone not smile from watching her play? She didn't force anything in the first half......she managed the game and got others involved more in the scoring. You could tell that she was the focus of WV defense early. Then when it counted....she drove daggers into their heart with the 2 treys at the start of the 4th quarter. One thing I watch is how fatigued a player is. If you watch her play defense so hard....it is amazing she has any energy for offense. However, she never appears tired....or even breathing hard. Perhaps Aston can tell from being closer to the action. She played 35 minutes yesterday and was on the court for almost all the time when the game was close. I wonder how a player can have that amount of stamina? I wish to see her heart physically.....as she must have almost as big of one......as she does an emotional heart. So I am going to relax and calm down.........and go fishing this afternoon.......and not think about missing her on the court in a short 1-1/3 years.

 

I know how you feel. I start missing them about 2 years early, and Brooke is way up there. Just like you say, she never looks tired, though she often plays almost the entire game. She is unflappable. She just keeps playing, ahead or behind (luckily, usually ahead). When I first saw her in the McDonald's AA game that year, she didn't get very many minutes and didn't get to show anything. I thought, "I don't know about this," but, boy, did I soon find out. Because of her size, I sometimes think we look like a team that brought a mascot.

 

You are not alone. Before this season, Karen Aston had an interview and said no matter who she's talking to, the one player she is always asked about is Brooke. I assume most casual fans see her size first and kind of think having such a small player is a gimmick until they see her play and recognize the immense talent.

 

What is remarkable about Brooke, and I think the reason she has improved so much, is that she had to play a leadership role from the first day she arrived. I fell "in love" with her that freshman year when she just stepped onto the court and started taking care of business.

Atkins, if not for the injuries, has followed a similar path of being key from day one. And not that I wanted Imani to get injured, but thank God Lang had to step up when Imani was out because we are benefitting from that now too. I will miss the whole group! They have turned the program around.

If anyone watched the interview during the game with Conradt, you noticed that she said defense no longer wins games... It takes a lot of offense these days. I think in the end that was why Jody had to step aside. The game had finally surpassed even her - one of the greats who had made it great. Gail was terrific with offense but couldn't seem to get the right mix of players to UT. Karen has been great and hiring Carey was brilliant. So glad we no longer rely solely on the "big down low" and instead see that as just one of several options. I really wish we would see even more action from BTA.

I disagree with earlier post about UConn and Baylor. We have the ability to compete and even beat both - will we execute is the question.