Longhorns Looking for Some 'Red River Revenge' on Saturday
The Texas Longhorns wouldn’t mind a little revenge when they host the No. 12 Oklahoma Sooners at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Erwin Center in Austin.
After all, just a couple of weeks ago, the Sooners (20-3, 9-2 in Big 12) basically stole a win over the No. 16 Longhorns (16-6, 6-5) on a Liz Scott layup with four seconds remaining.
Talk to Texas head coach Vic Schaefer and he’ll tell you that the Longhorns missed opportunities down the stretch of that game — three of them, in fact, in the final few seconds. Plus, the Longhorns went more than four minutes without a field goal to end that game.
Texas have a bit of momentum now after beating Texas Tech, 61-56, on Wednesday. That snapped a three-game losing streak, and that loss to the Sooners started that streak, followed by a pair of losses to Baylor.
That stretch pretty much doomed the Longhorns’ chances of winning a Big 12 regular-season title. They’re three games back of both the Sooners and the Iowa State Cyclones for first place, and Texas has seven games to play. Yes, Texas could beat Oklahoma on Saturday, and beat Iowa State when they face each other again later this month. But Texas would still need help.
So, the next few weeks are really about the Longhorns assuring their seeding in the Big 12 Tournament next month in Kansas City. Texas is in sixth place right now, a half-game behind Kansas State. For Texas, staying in the Top 6 is important, as it will help give it a bye into the tournament’s second day.
Schaefer, who was looking for a spark against Texas Tech, moved guard Shay Holle and DeYona Gaston into the starting five. For Holle, it was her first collegiate start. Neither hit double figures, and it was Texas’ usual suspects that led the way — Joanne Allen-Taylor with 14 points and Audrey Warren with 12 points. Aliyah Matharu, Texas’ leading scorer, barely played and had just three points.
Inconsistency and foul trouble have been issues for Matharu the past two weeks, and the Longhorns need her to be on her game against the Sooners, who are the nation’s second-best offense, averaging 86.2 points. The Sooners have been off for a week, since their victory last Saturday over West Virginia, 101-99, in double overtime.
The Sooners have cleared 100 points three times this season, and while the Longhorns held them to 65 points in their first meeting, Oklahoma has many weapons to account for.
Guard Taylor Robertson averages 18 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game and is considered one of the best 3-point shooters in the country. Forward Madi Williams is emerging as one of the nation’s best small forwards and averages 18.6 points and eight rebounds. As for Scott, while she only averages seven points and 4.7 rebounds, she also hit the game-winner against Baylor in the game after Oklahoma beat Texas.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
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