The University of Texas women’s basketball team remains a perfect 10-0, with one non-conference game left before Big 12 play.
The No. 5/6 Longhorns beat Arkansas, 61-50, on Dec. 20 in the Big 12-SEC Challenge with junior guard Briana Taylor scoring a team-high 15 points and grabbing a game-high nine rebounds. The win against the Razorbacks also marked Texas’ 24th consecutive win against regular-season non-conference opponets.
Last season the Longhorns started 14-0 but finished Big 12 play 9-9. Injuries hurt Texas last season, especially when then-senior forward Nneka Enemkpali tore her ACL against Baylor in the sixth conference game of the season. The Longhorns went through a rough patch, losing four straight games in February. But they rallied late in the season and advanced to the Big 12 championship game before losing to then-No. 6/7 Baylor to earn a ticket to the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship.
This season the Longhorns hope for a different outcome in Big 12 play.
“There are a lot of mature players who have been through league play and have been through postseason play,†head coach Karen Aston told The Daily Texan. “So they have a good understanding of the fact that you have to keep getting better and there are challenges to everyting.â€
Senior center Imani Boyette and senior guard Celina Rodrigo have started every game this season. Boyette is averaging 24.6 minutes and 12.4 points per game. Last season, Boyette made only eight starts and averaged 18.0 minutes a game. Rodrigo is averaging 26.9 minutes and 6.8 points per game. Last season, Rodrigo started 16 games, including all three of the NCAA postseason games. She is a three-year starter at Texas.
Sophomore guard Brooke McCarty and senior guard Empress Davenport each have started nine of the 10 games this season. McCarty is averaging 30.4 minutes and 12.6 points per game. Last season, McCarty started 15 games, including 11 conference games. She was the only Longhorn to play in all 35 games of the 2014-15 season, averaging 23.2 minutes a game. Davenport is averaging 24.5 minutes and 7.6 points per game. Last season, Davenport played in 33 of the games, starting in 20 of them. She averaged 24.0 minutes a game.
Along with Texas’ perfect season so far, one Longhorn is breaking UT records. Boyette recorded her 1,000th point of her career at Texas in the fourth game of the season against Hampton. Currently, Boyette owns 1,080 points, making her 34th on Texas’ all-time scoring list. Boyette has also recorded 223 blocks, placing her fourth on Texas’ all-time blocks list. When the Naismith Trophy released its early-season watch list, Boyette’s name appeared on the list.
Texas last non-conference game is Dec. 27 against Sam Houston State in Austin, Texas.
