UT baseball hammers Sam Houston State, 12-3, after getting swept at home

After suffering the rare indignity of getting swept in a four-game series at home, the UT baseball team bounced back Tuesday with a 12-3 pummeling of Sam Houston State. Second baseman Joe Baker, first baseman Kacy Clemens and center fielder Zane Gurwitz each had a three-hit night, and third baseman Kody Clemens had his crack at the long ball in the fourth inning with a two-run homer, his first of the season. The Texas offense produced a five-run fifth inning and never relinquished the lead.

UT sophomore righty Morgan Cooper pitched a stellar six innings, striking out eight and allowing only three hits to pick up his first victory of the season.

Sophomore Morgan Cooper gave up three hits and no walks and struck out eight over six scoreless innings to lead the Longhorns to a 12-3 win over Sam Houston State. Photo courtesy of texassports.com.

The victory was a much-needed rebound for the Longhorns after they lost each game in a four-game home series at UCFU Disch-Falk Field. Texas head coach Augie Garrido’s explanation is simple: The Longhorns are doing the wrong things at the wrong time. The UT defense stumbled as No. 12 California swept Texas in a four-game series in Austin this weekend.

“(Losing consistently) is almost like winning,” Garrido said. “The difference is you have to do the wrong thing at the right time, instead of the right thing at the right time, and that’s what has been happening. It shifts into the things you can count on. To be consistent in losing, the unexpected in a negative way has to happen to the parts of the team that you have the most confidence in.”

Cal pitching stifled the Longhorns in the series opener Thursday night as UT fell, 4-1. The ‘Horns managed just five hits while the Golden Bears knocked the Texas pitchers around for 11. UT’s lone run came on a solo shot off the bat of first baseman Kacy Clemens, his first home run of the year. Freshman righty Nolan Kingham took the loss after allowing two runs on eight hits over four innings. Junior left-hander Jon Malmin allowed two more runs on three hits in a shaky third of an inning. Travis Duke and Eric Dunbar shut down the Golden Bears with a combined 4.2 perfect innings of work. Despite the loss, Garrido said he was pleased with the defense’s efforts.

“Our defense played really well and kept things under control,” Garrido said. “I was extremely proud of the pitchers. (The Golden Bears) hit some balls and they hit a lot of them, and our pitchers kept throwing strikes. That’s what we ask them to do.”

Texas nearly defeated Cal in the second game of the series Friday with a late rally, but fell a run short and lost, 4-3. The Golden Bears plated two runs in both the third and sixth innings to take a 4-0 lead, thanks in part to a wild pitch and UT throwing error. The Longhorns began to chip away in the bottom of the sixth. Gurwitz laced a single to right, followed by a ground-rule double by sophomore shortstop Bret Boswell. Baker plated Gurwitz with a sacrifice fly. In the seventh, the ‘Horns added another run on freshman right fielder Brady Harlan’s RBI single. Texas pulled the score to 4-3 in the eighth after Baker singled and junior designated hitter Tres Barrera hit an RBI double to left center, but that’s all the Longhorns could muster, and a couple strikeouts in the ninth finalized the one-run loss in a game in which the Texas offense facedone of the best pitchers in the country in Cal junior righty Daulton Jefferies. Garrido said the Texas errors and misplays cost the ‘Horns the game, but they still showed progression offensively.

“We had one of our best games of being in control of ourselves inside the batter’s box and competing throughout the game,” Garrido said. “The separation wasn’t from the pitching staff in my opinion — the separation was defensively. We lost the game, but made progress.”

Texas’ offensive progress came to a screeching halt Saturday. California shut UT out, 6-0, as the Longhorns managed a season-low three hits. Senior lefty Ty Culbreth turned in another strong outing for Texas, giving up three runs while giving up six hits and striking out six over eight innings. Cal starting pitcher Ryan Mason proved difficult to hit. Baker knocked a double in the first inning, but Mason then retired 10 straight Longhorn batters. Gurwitz and Harlan added singles in the sixth and eighth innings, respectively, but the Texas offense failed to capitalize. Garrido said the lack of production can get contagious among the hitters.

“When one guy is doing it, then the rest start to do it,” Garrido said. “The trick is to get that turned around.”

The Longhorn offense came to life in the series finale, but the bullpen let a 7-0 Texas lead escape late in the game, and the ‘Horns fell, 10-7, in 11 innings. Texas plated a couple runs in the second and fourth and stormed out of the gates with a four-run fifth. Gurwitz reached base on an error and scored on a Boswell RBI triple. Barrera walked and Kacy Clemens drove the ball out of the park for a three-run home run to put Texas up 6-0. It was Clemens’ second home run of the series.

Cal added two runs in the eighth and tied the game with a five-run offensive outbreak in the ninth off Texas freshman right-handed pitcher Chase Shugart. Five singles and a walk later, the Golden Bears had erased UT’s 7-2 lead and the teams headed to extra innings knotted at 7-7. Cal plated two runs on three singles in the top of the eleventh, and added another run on a Boswell error. The Longhorns couldn’t pull of a comeback in the bottom of the eleventh, and the Golden Bears took the 10-7 win.

It goes without saying the deflating loss and series sweep is not how the ‘Horns wanted the weekend to end. But the players remained positive and avoided focusing on the game’s result.

“I feel like we played to give ourselves a chance to win today, but things didn’t bounce the way we really wanted at the end,” Barrera said. “There’s going to be some growing pains with this team. We’re young, a little inexperienced here and there in different places, but we’re going to be better than that team at the end of the year. I can guarantee you that.”

With momentum on their side again, the Longhorns travel to Los Angeles on Friday for a three-game set with UCLA. First pitch is slated for 8 p.m. Friday night.

UT baseball hammers Sam Houston State, 12-3, after getting swept at home

Texas drops conference championship game, falls to Baylor for third time this season

The highly anticipated Texas-Baylor rematch ended in familiar fashion. The No. 6/7 Longhorns let the second-quarter slip away as Texas fell 79-63 to the No. 4 and top-seeded Bears on Monday in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship.

Just one week ago, the Longhorns ended the regular season with a blowout loss to Baylor and found themselves in a similar position tonight. Texas has lost all three meetings against Baylor this season.

“It was nearly similar to the Waco game (a week ago), in the sense that we played well and competitively in the first quarter, but midway through the second quarter, it slipped away from us,” Texas head coach Karen Aston said. “Baylor has the ability to kind of force you to be uncomfortable offensively and force you to do some things that are uncharacteristic. They’ve been doing this all year long. Credit to their defense, which I think turns into offense for them.”

Just like the last time Texas played Baylor, the Longhorns kept up with the Bears for the first quarter. Baylor jumped out to a 6-0 run to start the game. Sophomore guard Brooke McCarty put the ‘Horns on the board with a three-pointer as Texas answered with a 10-2 run to close the quarter trailing by just three points. Sophomore guard Ariel Atkins hit a jumper at the beginning of the second quarter, trimming the Texas deficit to one point at 16-15. But that was as close as UT would come all night as its offense unraveled. A 12-2 Baylor run erased the Longhorns’ work as the Bears built an 11-point cushion and headed to the lockers with a 36-25 lead.

“At the beginning of the game, we came out with a different mindset,” junior center Kelsey Lang said. “We knew it would be a tough game tonight, not only because we played three games in three days, but because we had already lost to (Baylor) twice.”

The Longhorns attempted a second-half rally, but the Bears’ lead was too much to overcome. Freshman guard Lashann Higgs scored eight of Texas’ 18 third-quarter points en route to her team-high 15 points. McCarty gave the ‘Horns some energy when she snatched a steal and took it the other way for a fast-break layup, but the Texas shooters continued to struggle as the Bears extended their lead to 17 points and never looked back. Baylor senior guard Niya Johnson nailed the Texas coffin with a three-pointer lobbed from mid-court as the shot clock expired with around two minutes to play. UT’s 20-point effort in the fourth quarter wasn’t enough, despite an offensive outburst from the bench.

Aston said her team’s bench points have been valuable throughout the tournament, but said the team still has much to work on heading into NCAA play.

“I’m glad (the bench) is improving — (the bench players) had a good tournament,” Aston said. “I’m proud of our team. But there is a standard we’re trying to get to and hopefully we’ll learn some lessons and grow from this.”

Guard Lashann Higgs’ team-high 15 points were not enough as the Texas women’s basketball team fell, 79-63, to Baylor in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship title game. Photo courtesy of texassports.com.

Texas has much to take away from the past four games and will take the next two weeks to prepare for NCAA tournament play. The Longhorns can’t afford to dwell on losses as they prepare for the one-and-done portion of their season.

“We’re definitely going to take advantage of these next two weeks to fix some areas that need to be fixed,” Lang said. “I know that the rest of my team is just as excited as I am to learn where we’re going and who we will play and how we will be seeded. We’re going to get to work for the next two weeks.”

Texas drops conference championship game, falls to Baylor for third time this season

Longhorns earn No. 2 seed in Big 12 Tournament

It’s the beginning of a new season as far as the Longhorns are concerned. With the final regular season game in the books and the Big 12 Tournament seeds set, Texas begins its push through the postseason this weekend. The Longhorns have hit the reset button after a blowout loss to Baylor on Monday and are continuing to take the season game-by-game.

“We look at it as a new season — from now on, we’re 0-0,” junior guard Brianna Taylor said. “We think of it as survive and advance … we have to change our mindset now that we know it’s ‘win or go home.’ We just have to get to the gym and regroup.”

The Big 12 Tournament begins Friday, and UT is seeded No. 2 behind No. 1 seed Baylor. Texas has a bye until Saturday’s quarterfinals at 6 p.m., when the Longhorns will play the winner of Friday’s No. 7 TCU vs. No. 10 Kansas matchup. Heading into the tournament, the Longhorns are focused on continuing the style of play that earned them a 26-3 record.

“The mindset is to stay together,” senior guard Celina Rodrigo said. “We are not going to let this (Baylor) loss tear us apart and lose our confidence. We’re going to try to have the same confidence and energy as a team and take that into the tournament.”

The season ended on a sour note for Texas with a 26-point loss to Baylor in Waco. The Longhorns played a close game in the first half and went to halftime down 30-20. But the Texas scorers went cold, and Baylor ran away with the game in the third quarter, outscoring Texas 30-10. Sophomore guard Brooke McCarty’s three-pointer and freshman guard Lashann Higgs’ eight points off the bench in the fourth quarter gave the Longhorns some late-game energy, but it wasn’t nearly enough to mount a comeback.

The Bears accounted for two of Texas’ three losses this season, but the players aren’t taking the loss to heart. If anything, it’s given the Longhorns motivation as they prepare for the Big 12 Tournament. Texas and Baylor could meet again in the conference championship game should they both win their respective quarterfinal and semifinal games.

“I believe in my team,” senior center Imani Boyette said after the game. “(We) played hard out there and were tough. We didn’t respond the way we wanted to, but I’m never going to question my team’s passion because from top to bottom everyone wants to be here. Everybody loves Texas. So Baylor beat us today, but eventually that’s going to change. It just wasn’t tonight.”

The Texas women’s basketball team’s regular season might have ended on a sour note, but the Longhorns parlayed their stellar season into a first-round bye in the Big 12 Tournament. Photo courtesy of texassports.com.

Compared to the rest of the season, the Longhorns have had a rough February. Texas began the month with back-to-back wins over Iowa State and Oklahoma State by at least 15 points each game. Sophomore guard Ariel Atkins started both games and scored a combined 38 points. But the Longhorns stumbled against rival then-No. 21 Oklahoma on Valentine’s Day. Texas lost 74-56 in Norman, shooting just 29 percent from the field and 30 percent from three. McCarty put up 19 points, including a 3-7 effort from behind the arc. Texas trailed, 49-45, at the end of the third period, but the Sooners outscored the ‘Horns by a whopping 29-7 in the fourth quarter. Texas head coach Karen Aston said the Sooners’ ability to play every possession with a sense of urgency and get the Texas scorers off-balance made the difference in the game, in addition to the Sooners’ accuracy from three.

“In the first half, we gave some better help, but in the second half they hit some threes and we were afraid to give help,” Aston said. “That was probably the biggest difference: they started to hit the perimeter shots. We missed some shots – a lot of shots. We missed some easy ones that messed with us a little bit since we’ve been shooting the ball well … missing shots was a huge factor. But there were a lot of 50-50 balls down the stretch that they probably wanted a little more than we did.”

Texas returned to Austin Feb. 17 with a shaky 58-51 win over Kansas State behind senior guard Brady Sanders’ 12 points off the bench.  A strong second-half rally pulled the Longhorns to victory after facing a 27-18 deficit at halftime. Aston said the bench players’ energy largely contributed to the Texas comeback.  Sanders has seen limited minutes after offseason surgery, but has become valuable off the bench and stepped into a leadership role for the team. She said every player is ready to do their part when their number is called.

“I just want to help the team,” Sanders said. “Whether it’s reps in practice or minutes in a game, I value them the same … As long as we get the win that’s really all that matters to me, so it’s really not hard to stay motivated when I know how special this team is. This is the last chance that we have, as a whole, to go far. I just want to help contribute to that.”

UT got back on track and rolled to victories over West Virginia, Texas Tech and TCU by a combined 57 points before stumbling at Baylor. But the loss is nothing but a learning experience now. With the regular season behind them and a clean slate in front of them, the Longhorns are focused on their end goal: a championship.

“It has been a phenomenal season,” Rodrigo said. “We’re going to keep building on it. We have accomplished a lot of our goals and it’s been a really great year for us … We haven’t lost any confidence in ourselves. We are still in a great place as a team, and we’re going to see what we can take away from it, take that to the tournament, and look forward from there.”

Longhorns earn No. 2 seed in Big 12 Tournament

Women’s basketball suffers blowout loss to No. 4 Baylor in final regular-season game

After defeating TCU Saturday night, the Texas players spoke about the importance of carrying momentum into Monday’s marquee matchup with No. 4/4 Baylor. Instead, the Bears drubbed No. 6/8 Texas, 74-48, in Waco in the final regular-season game and claimed sole possession of the Big 12 title.

“Congratulations to Baylor, first and foremost,” Texas head coach Karen Aston said. “Credit to (the Bears) and their defense. We just dug too big of a hole, and then we went downhill from there.”

The game didn’t begin as a blowout. The teams traded buckets in the first quarter, and UT trailed by a single point, 14-13, at the start of the second. The Bears began to distance themselves from their guests, outscoring the Longhorns, 16-7, in the second period. Texas went more than six minutes without scoring a single point until a single free throw by freshman guard Jordan Hosey snapped the drought with 12 seconds left until halftime. The Longhorns headed to the locker room with a 30-20 deficit and a still-manageable game on their hands.

“It was a 10-point game at half, but I don’t think it should have been,” Aston said. “We missed a lot of easy shots in the first half. The energy was good and we turned them over, but didn’t capitalize in the first half. That was probably deflating to our team.”

Texas fell apart in the third quarter, managing only 10 points while the Bears put up 30, thanks to a 22-3 run in the latter half of the period. Baylor sophomore guard Kristy Wallace scored 13 of her 23 total points in the quarter.

The Longhorns actually outscored the Bears, 18-14, in the final quarter, but it was too little too late. Sophomore guard Brooke McCarty hit UT’s first three-pointer of the night and finished the game with a team-high 12 points and four assists. McCarty was the only Texas starter left on the floor in the fourth quarter. The Texas bench provided valuable energy, as freshman guard Lashann Higgs scored eight points, including a steal that she drove back for a layup in the final four seconds to end the lopsided affair.

Center Imani Boyette came within two points and two rebounds of another double-double Monday night, but not much went right for the Longhorns in their 74-48 loss at No. 4 Baylor. Photo courtesy of texassports.com.

The Texas offense struggled to hit shots all night, connecting on just 29 percent of its field goals, compared to Baylor’s 53 percent. The Bears dominated from behind the arc, shooting 45 percent against UT’s 11 percent.

The Longhorns will take this week to hit the reset button before the Big 12 Championship tournament begins Friday in Oklahoma City. Texas has a bye until the quarterfinals Saturday, and seeds will be announced Tuesday evening.

The team’s one-game-at-a-time mentality holds steady as the Longhorns prepare for tournament play. In the aftermath of the loss, the Texas players said they haven’t lost their grit and passion.

“I believe in my team,” senior center Imani Boyette said. “They played hard out there and were tough. We didn’t respond the way we wanted to, but I’m never going to question my team’s passion, because from top to bottom, everyone wants to be here. Everybody loves Texas. So Baylor beat us today, but eventually that is going to change. It just wasn’t tonight.”

No. 23 Texas baseball splits four-game set with Stanford

The No. 23 Texas baseball team learned a valuable lesson in momentum after splitting a four-game series over the weekend with Stanford at UFCU Disch-Falk Field. Solid pitching from both teams dominated the series, as the Texas offense went hot and cold, struggling to produce runs one day or scoring six runs in a single inning the next day.

The Texas Longhorns will carry a 4-3 record into Tuesday’s game at Texas State after splitting a four-game series with the Stanford Cardinal. Photo courtesy of texassports.com.

The 4-3 Longhorns began the series in familiar fashion — a 12-inning, one-run loss. Texas fell 1-0 to Stanford on Thursday night after a lengthy pitchers’ duel. UT freshman righty Nolan Kingham pitched 4 2/3 innings in his first collegiate start, surrendering two hits and three walks. The Texas pitching staff allowed only four hits the entire night, but that was all Stanford needed to earn the win.

Junior lefty Jon Malmin came in to pitch for Texas in the top of the 10th and threw a hitless 11th. In the 12th, a Stanford single put a runner at first. The next Cardinal batter reached base safely after Malmin’s throw to first sailed wide. A sacrifice bunt advanced the runners, and Malmin intentionally walked sophomore left fielder Quinn Brodey to load the bases with one out. Sophomore third baseman Mikey Diekroeger pushed in the winning run with a fielder’s choice to third.

Texas couldn’t get much done against the Cardinal pitching staff. Stanford freshman lefthander Kris Bubic went 4 1/3 innings and gave up two hits and two walks, and Stanford pitchers allowed a mere five hits and six walks throughout the game. Sophomore right hander Colton Hock put up a solid 5 2/3 innings of work as a middle reliever for Stanford, walking three and giving up three hits. The Texas offense isn’t discouraged about its lack of production against top-notch arms in only the second week of the season.

“It’s early in the year, and Stanford has great pitching,” junior center fielder Zane Gurwitz said of the series. “I haven’t seen that much good pitching in a while, and I’m not concerned. It’s about as good as it’s going to get right there, pitching-wise, and all you can do is learn from it.”

Texas bounced back to a 4-3 win Friday night, despite a close call in the eighth inning. It looked to be another pitchers’ duel until UT put up a four-spot in the third inning. Junior first baseman Kacy Clemens drew a walk, and freshman left fielder Tyler Rand was drilled by a pitch on his left hand to put runners on first and second. Gurwitz laid down a sacrifice bunt to third, but Diekroeger overthrew to first, allowing Gurwitz to reach second and Clemens to score. UT made it 2-0 on an RBI groundout from sophomore shortstop Bret Boswell. Gurwitz then scored from third on a passed ball to clear the bases and put Texas up, 3-0. Sophomore second baseman Joe Baker smacked a stand-up double with one out and proceeded to steal third, marking his first of four steals on the night. Baker scored on a RBI single from junior designated hitter Tres Barrera, putting the Longhorns up 4-0.

“The way we extended the third inning … turned out to be a real important factor in winning the game,” Texas head coach Augie Garrido said. “We did a good job of continuing to attack.”

Stanford put a run on the board in the fourth inning, and tacked on another in the sixth after a couple Texas mishaps. A dropped third strike allowed Stanford’s leadoff hitter to reach first. He reached second after a throwing error resulted in an unsuccessful pickoff attempt, and scored on a RBI single to pull the game within two runs. The Cardinal made it 4-3 with another RBI single, and freshman righty Chase Shugart entered in relief with two on and one out. Shugart got out of the jam and earned his first save in the ninth inning. Sophomore right-hander Kyle Johnston earned the win after pitching seven innings with four hits, two runs and two walks.

Garrido said Johnston provided the spark Texas needed by maintaining control and providing leadership for the team. Even after seven innings of work, Johnston still felt he could pitch longer.

“Tonight, I really took warm-up more seriously,” Johnston said. “I thought if I kept throwing first-pitch strikes and getting people out quick, I could go as long as I wanted to. Going seven strong with the bullpen we have this year is awesome. Our starters can go give or six and still have a strong bullpen throughout the night with all the pitching we’ve got.”

Everything clicked for Texas on Saturday, as the offense slugged its way to a 9-0 victory behind stellar starting pitching. Senior lefty Ty Culbreth pitched eight innings of two-hit baseball and notched a career-high 12 strikeouts, and the ever-versatile Kacy Clemens pitched a hitless ninth. Garrido and Culbreth agreed that Culbreth’s command and ability to stay focused allowed him to pitch so deep into the game.

“Today was probably one of the best command days I’ve ever had,” Culbreth said. “I was able to work both sides of the plate with the fastball, which helped a lot. I had all three pitches working for me tonight.”

The game remained close at 1-0 until the Longhorn bats woke up in the fourth inning and plated six runs. Barrera opened the inning with a single, reached second on a hit-and-run, stole third, and scored on a safety squeeze. After an RBI double and single scored two more, Boswell launched a towering three-run homer to right. Texas added some insurance in the eighth as sophomore right fielder Jake McKenzie’s RBI single scored two. Boswell’s power display helped fuel the offensive surge, but for the most part the Longhorn offense stuck to the “small ball” style they’re known for.

“We’re just trying to win every pitch, trying to put together quality at-bats,” Barrera said. “We’re not going to beat you with the long ball — Bret (Boswell) did hit one — but we don’t have guys that are going to hit double after double, homerun after homerun. We know our game and know if we stay within our game, we’re going to score a lot of runs and be productive.”

The tide turned in Stanford’s favor Sunday afternoon. The Texas pitching was far from effective, and the offense struggled to produce at all. The Longhorns blew through seven pitchers who were tagged for a combined 15 hits as the Cardinal rolled to an 11-1 victory. Sophomore righty Connor Mayes gave up three runs in the first inning after walking Stanford’s leadoff man. Another walk and an infield single loaded the bases, and two runs scored on an RBI single from sophomore first baseman Matt Winaker. Another run scored after Mayes balked, and Stanford jumped to a 3-0 lead. Mayes settled down after the first and pitched three scoreless innings. Despite the early struggles, he was pleased with his ability to adjust and get back in the game.

“It was a rough day, rough first inning,” Mayes said. “I was proud of the way, after the first, I was able to figure it out — I felt more confident. Just have to learn from it. I just need to slow down a little bit and realize that it’s just a game and no big deal. Just have fun. Sometimes I’m overthinking it.”

Texas added their single run in the fourth inning after Kacy Clemens scored on an RBI triple from sophomore left fielder Travis Jones. The Cardinal went scoreless for four innings before adding a pair in the sixth and three in the eighth. Senior right fielder Jonny Locher — who came in as a pinch runner in the eighth — smashed a three-run blast of his own in the ninth inning to finalize the blowout Texas loss. But Garrido said he isn’t concerned with UT’s Sunday afternoon implosion, and said the players learned a valuable lesson in momentum.

“You look at the reverse of (Saturday) night: the other team becomes us and we become them, and that’s all about momentum,” Garrido said. “It’s hard to respond when you don’t put the ball in play. If there’s no base runners, there’s no plays. You get more conservative offensively when you’re behind because you don’t want to give away outs. That’s what momentum is all about, and that’s what we could see — the contrast in how the teams played with a four-run lead, a six-run lead, how much different they got. The pitching got better, the hitting got better.”

Texas will take those lessons into Tuesday night’s match with Texas State in San Marcos. The Longhorns have a four-game series with No. 12 California looming  next weekend and are wasting no time dwelling on the could-haves.

“The best thing we can do is just turn the page, get it out of our heads and move on,” Gurwitz said. “We got Texas State on Tuesday, and we have to get ready for that.”

Sophomore leads women’s basketball past TCU on Senior Night

The four Texas seniors walked onto the court, family members by their sides, for the Senior Night ceremony before the Longhorns’ last regular-season home game at the Frank Erwin Center. Guards Empress Davenport, Celina Rodrigo, Brady Sanders and center Imani Boyette also walked onto the court as 80 percent of the starting lineup and walked away with a final home win under their belts when No. 8 Texas took down TCU, 71-58, on a special Saturday night for the Longhorns.

But it wasn’t a senior who provided the spark Texas needed. Sophomore guard Brooke McCarty — the fifth starter – finished with a game-high 16 points, 12 of which came from behind the three-point line, and eight assists. Boyette added 12 points and nine rebounds and credited much of UT’s win to McCarty’s performance.

“Brooke (McCarty) is a lion in a mouse’s body,” Boyette said. “She can score from anywhere on the floor, she’s really quick and she’s going to get after it. She thinks she’s a big player out there, so she’s going to play like it.”

The Longhorns struggled yet again to get started. Nine of TCU’s 13 first-quarter points came from behind the arc, but Texas responded as sophomore guard Ariel Atkins scored four straight points and McCarty drilled her first three. The Longhorns and Horned Frogs finished the period knotted in a 13-13 tie.

Texas head coach Karen Aston attributed the first quarter funk to the pressure and excitement of Senior Night for the players.

“It was kind of a strange game, because I didn’t think anybody could get in any flow, in particular offensively,” Aston said. “We seemed anxious at the beginning of the game and understandably so. (Senior Night) throws you off a little bit and not in a bad way, but it makes you anxious. (The Texas seniors) were super-excited. Sometimes when this team gets really excited and happy, they’re not as locked in to execution.”

The Longhorns started to settle down in the second quarter. A jumper from Atkins put Texas ahead to start the period, but the Horned Frogs matched UT offense, bucket-for-bucket. McCarty gave Texas some distance and forced a TCU timeout with a three from the right corner, followed immediately by a steal that she took the other way for a fast-break layup to put the Longhorns up, 26-20. Texas closed the quarter on a 10-2 run and sprinted off the court for halftime in a high-fiving frenzy with a 36-27 lead.

The Horned Frogs threatened in the third quarter after a 9-2 run pulled them within four at 41-45. A layup by junior center Kelsey Lang and back-to-back McCarty three-pointers pushed Texas ahead to a 12-point cushion. UT rolled from there, leading by at least 11 points for the rest of the game. A free throw by junior guard Brianna Taylor tacked on the extra point and finalized the 71-58 UT victory.

“It was a fun game,” Boyette said. “It was awesome to see everybody get involved, and we had our family here. For the out-of-state kids, it’s great to have people come and see you at home — it gives us some momentum going into Monday’s game.”

Texas doesn’t have time to revel in the victory with No. 4 Baylor looming in the final game of the regular season Monday and a share of a conference title on the line. Aston said the short amount of turnaround time is helpful in preparing the team for the postseason, and the lessons learned in playing through anxiety and excitement on Senior Night will carry over to the big stage in Waco. For the players, defeating the Bears is just another goal on their list.

“(Beating Baylor) would mean a lot to us, especially for the senior class,” Rodrigo said. “This is one of our goals from the get go. If we are able to go out and do that, we would be extremely happy to accomplish one of our goals.”

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Baseball opens season with series win over UNLV

The bats came alive as No. 23 Texas took two out of three games from UNLV over opening weekend in Austin. Despite dropping the season opener in 12 innings, Texas came back to score a combined 18 runs over the next two games, while the pitching staff allowed six total runs throughout the series. Texas head coach Augie Garrido said his team’s complete performance right out of the gates is encouraging as the season begins.

“It means we’re doing all parts of the game,” Garrido said. “We’ve been pretty consistent in the last 18 innings with two-out hitting and runners in scoring position. (The players) aren’t thinking about results, but thinking about the ball and squaring it up — that’s a really good sign.”

The Texas Longhorns took two of three from UNLV in the first series of the season. Photo courtesy of texassports.com.

UT’s season began Friday night in dramatic fashion. The Longhorns jumped to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second. Sophomore designated hitter Michael Cantu knocked a ground-rule double, and freshman third baseman Kody Clemens drew a walk, and the pair scored on back-to-back RBI singles by sophomore second baseman Jake McKenzie and freshman left fielder Tyler Rand. UNLV answered with a run in the top of the third after a walk and consecutive singles, but the Longhorns scored again when junior catcher Tres Barrera singled, reached second on an error and scored on an RBI single by Cantu, giving Texas a 3-1 lead.

The Longhorns’ lead held until the eighth inning. With two outs and two on, UNLV junior pinch-hitter Cooper Esmay drove a high fly ball to right field. UT sophomore right fielder Patrick Mathis misjudged his route, and the ball fell to the grass as two runs crossed the plate to tie the game at three. UNLV senior catcher Andrew Yazdanbaksh snapped the tie in the 12^th inning with a home run into the visitors’ bullpen in left field to claim the 4-3 win for UNLV.

Garrido and Mathis’ teammates aren’t dwelling on the mishap, which Garrido says is highly uncharacteristic of the young outfielder.

“One of our best defensive outfielders misses a ball that he (normally) catches in his hip pocket — that’s baseball, man,” Garrido said. “If you’d watch him practice, he catches balls all over the place. He’s really good.”

Mathis’ mistake was just one of many problems for the Longhorns on Friday night. UT sophomore starting pitcher Kyle Johnston allowed three hits and one run over four innings of work, but he also gave up five walks. Texas pitchers issued a combined 11 walks compared to the UNLV pitching staff’s two walks.

Garrido noted the excessive walks, defensive misplays and strikeouts were out of character for Texas, citing first-game jitters as a factor in the loss.

“We played uptight,” Garrido said of Friday’s game. “It’s all a part of being at The University of Texas and feeling the responsibilities of having to win the game and not having the tools to control themselves individually or as a team, and letting their emotions drive them rather than them being in control.”

The Longhorns regained control in games two and three, overpowering UNLV with double-digit hits in each game. UT slugged its way to an 11-2 victory Saturday, with every starter scoring a run for the first time since Feb. 17, 2015, when the ‘Horns pulled off the feat against UTSA. Redshirt sophomore shortstop Bret Boswell and junior center fielder Zane Gurwitz racked up three hits each to supplement senior starting pitcher Ty Culbreth’s five solid innings. Culbreth allowed one run, struck out four and surrendered four hits, including Yazdanbaksh’s second homer. Culbreth also issued the only free pass Texas gave up Saturday.

UT wasted no time rebounding from Friday night. The Longhorns took advantage of two costly UNLV errors to put up three runs and three hits in the bottom of the first inning. UT tacked on another run to make it 4-0 in the second after UNLV senior pitcher Kenny Oakley walked Barrera with the bases loaded. Yazdanbaksh put UNLV on the board with another solo home run to left field in the fourth inning. Two more UNLV errors led to two more runs for the Longhorns, as the Rebels bobbled their way to four errors and three unearned runs on the day.

Garrido said Saturday’s performance was more indicative of the level at which the Longhorns are capable of playing. He said he was especially pleased with the offense’s aggressiveness and ability to score two-out runs and provide support for the pitchers.

“It’s a lot easier to throw when you have a three-run lead, especially that early,” Culbreth said. “That helped me a lot today, and a lot of credit (goes) to the defense too. After last night, you wouldn’t think we’d start hot, but we cooled off a bit and came out ready to play.”

The slugfest continued Sunday as the Longhorns blanked the Rebels, 7-0. Mathis knocked the first pitch he saw over the fence. A pair of RBI singles brought in two runs in the second inning, giving Texas a 4-0 lead. A trio of RBI singles and a RBI double rounded out UT’s offensive showing, which included two hits each from junior first baseman Kacy Clemens, sophomore third baseman Travis Jones and Rand. Sophomore pitcher Connor Mayes turned in four innings of four hits, three walks and three strikeouts.

With the opening-day pressure relieved, Garrido said the Longhorns settled down and focused on the Saturday and Sunday games.

“Today was a lesson well-learned from the first night,” Garrido said. “You saw the team that we saw in the fall practices. They were aggressive on the bases, made contact and pitched to the mitt, and then played a high level of defense.”

The Longhorn offense is trying to prove it has changed since last season: Texas’ offense was ranked No. 226 in scoring in the NCAA with a mere 4.6 runs per game. After three games, UT is averaging 7.0 runs per game and will try to keep its offensive momentum rolling this weekend against Stanford. The Cardinal arrives in Austin to play a four-game series Feb. 25-28. The first pitch is set for 6 p.m. Thursday.

“We just had to get the first game out of the way — being under the lights, first game, opening day,” Boswell said. “Everybody is calmed down, and now we can perform the way we need to.”

Baseball opens season with series win over UNLV

No. 8 Longhorns bounce back in second half to pull past Kansas State

The No. 8/7 Longhorns pulled off the comeback they failed to muster last week against Oklahoma, defeating Kansas State, 58-51, Wednesday night behind a strong second-half rally and a season-best 12-point performance from senior guard Brady Sanders. The Longhorns struggled to find a rhythm in the first half, but Texas head coach Karen Aston said she didn’t see the same sluggishness Texas showed Sunday against the Sooners.

“We were not sluggish tonight,” Aston said. “We played anxious, and we weren’t confident. We started good, and then we got anxious when the shots didn’t go in, and then it snowballed on us. We didn’t help each other defensively.”

Texas shot just 25 percent (6-for-24) from the field in the first half, compared to Kansas State’s 38 percent. KSU junior guard Breanna Lewis had 18 points by halftime, equaling UT’s first-half team total as the Longhorns headed off the court trailing, 27-18. Sanders said the players knew they needed to adjust before Aston even arrived in the locker room.

“We regrouped at half,” Aston said. “We had some conversations about helping our post players and being at the right place at the right time defensively and getting connected — the press energized us.”

The Longhorns chipped away at the deficit to end the third quarter tied at 39. Sophomore guard Ariel Atkins scored eight consecutive points and junior center Kelsey Lang had back-to-back layups to lead a 13-5 Texas run. The Longhorn defense limited Lewis to two points from the free-throw line the entire second half. Lang said getting Lewis out of her comfort zone to limit her offensive production was a key discussion with the coaching staff at halftime.

“If (Lewis) is out of her comfort zone, it’s harder for her to get the layup she wants,” Lang said. “If she’s farther out of the paint when she puts it on the floor, it gives our guards an opportunity to dig (in) on her. I tried my hardest to keep her as far out as I could, so our guards would have an opportunity to help me.”

UT pulled ahead for good in the fourth, outscoring the Wildcats, 19-12, in the final period. Sanders’ two points from the charity stripe with 4:55 remaining put Texas up, 45-43, and the Longhorns took off from there. The Wildcats clawed back to pull within one point, 47-46, but a slew of UT free throws gave Texas the final advantage, capping the win at 58-51.

Guard Brady Sanders scored a team-high 12 points to lead three Longhorns who scored in double figures in UT’s 58-51 come-from-behind victory over Kansas State. Photo courtesy of texassports.com.

UT shot 36 percent from the field, connecting on 20 of 55 shots from the floor. Senior center Imani Boyette — UT’s leading scorer with an average 12.6 points per game — played only 19 minutes, but tallied 10 points, despite recent struggles on the court.

“People get in slumps, people struggle, but that’s the beauty of being on a team — especially this team,” Sanders said. “We have each other’s backs. Tonight, we were able to pull it out and get the win.”

The win improved UT’s record to 23-2 overall and 12-2 in Big 12 games, marking the first time since 2004-05 that Texas has reached 12 conference wins.  The Longhorns now turn their attention to West Virginia at 12 p.m. Sunday in Austin as the final stretch of conference games finish up.

“As long as we get the win, that’s all that really matters,” Sanders said. “It’s not hard to stay motivated when I know how special this team is, and this is the last chance that we have as a whole to go far.”

No. 8 Longhorns bounce back in second half to pull past Kansas State

No. 6 women’s basketball improves to 22-1 with 70-55 win over Oklahoma State

No. 6 Texas walked away with another win Wednesday, but it didn’t come easily. The Longhorns defeated No. 20 Oklahoma State, 70-55, at the Frank Erwin Center to improve to 22-1 overall and 11-1 against the Big 12. Texas got off to a slow start for the second consecutive game and struggled to find a rhythm in the first quarter.

“We were a little bit frozen to start the game,” head coach Karen Aston said. “I don’t know if we were nervous because we knew this was going to be a very challenging game, or whether we needed our motors to start going like I had been talking about, but once they got jolted into reality that this was going to be one of those ‘every possession’ games I think they got into it.”

Texas scored first on a jumper by senior guard Empress Davenport, but the Longhorns trailed for most of the first quarter, falling behind by as many as six points. Freshman forward Jordan Hosey nabbed a steal that led to a layup by sophomore guard Ariel Atkins to trim the deficit to 12-8. A jumper by Atkins later in the quarter gave Texas a 13-12 lead, but a 7-2 Oklahoma State run put the Cowgirls ahead, 19-15, at the end of the quarter.

The momentum shifted in UT’s favor in the second quarter. Texas outscored Oklahoma State, 16-8, thanks in part to a 10-0 run early in the quarter. Sophomore guard Brooke McCarty scored six points in the quarter, including a a shot just before the shot clock expired that tied the game at 21 with 7:02 remaining in the period. The Longhorns rolled from there and headed into halftime with a 31-17 advantage.

“We settled defensively (in the second half),” Aston said. “We were a little bit lackadaisical in the rebounding category in the first half. We made better decisions (in the second half). The guards made good decisions, and we quit shooting jump shots so much and started to drive the basketball and make some extra passes.”

The Longhorns struggled from behind the arc all night, hitting just three of seven shots from long range — all in the second half. With 7:17 to play in the third, Atkins put the first three-pointer on the board for Texas. McCarty followed with a layup, sparking an 11-0 run to give the ‘Horns their first double-digit lead of the night, 44-32.

Texas continued to build on its lead throughout the fourth. Junior center Kelsey Lang spun off an Oklahoma State defender to sink a layup in the paint for her second consecutive bucket. Davenport and Atkins both added three-pointers to seal the victory, 70-55.

McCarty finished with a team-high 18 points and led the Longhorns with three assists and three steals, and Atkins put up 16 points. McCarty attributed her offensive performance to the mindset that associate head coach Travis Mays has instilled in the guards.

“We have an attacking mindset,” McCarty said. “I needed to do something to help our team win. I knew if I attacked I could get my teammates open. I know that Coach Travis (Mays) comes in every day and tells us that we have to be aggressive so us attacking opens up things for Imani (Boyette) and opens up things for other guards so we just have to keep attacking.”

Guard Brooke McCarty led the Longhorns in points (18), steals (3) and assists (3) as Texas improved to 22-1 with a 70-55 win over Oklahoma State at the Frank Erwin Center. Photo courtesy of texassports.com.

Boyette, who leads the team with 12.8 points per game, played just 25 minutes after digging into foul trouble early. Aston said the team is adjusting to different defenses, with or without Boyette.

“Our team is starting to adjust and is taking whatever the defense gives them,” Aston said. “We had great contributions off the bench. We’re starting to get into a flow.”

Texas goes back on the road to face rival No. 21 Oklahoma at 1:30 p.m. Sunday. The Longhorns return home Feb. 17 to play Kansas State and West Virginia Feb. 21 in Austin.

No. 6 women’s basketball improves to 22-1 with 70-55 win over Oklahoma State

No. 6 women’s basketball wins at Iowa State for first time since 2009

The No. 6 Longhorns have come a long way from their 2-9 road record of last season. Texas maintained its perfect road record with a 65-49 win Saturday afternoon at Iowa State, improving to 21-1 on the season and 10-1 in the Big 12.

Sophomore guard Ariel Atkins continued her productive return from offseason ankle surgery with 22 points and 11 rebounds for the first double-double of her career. Atkins said her teammates’ encouragement helped spark her offensive performance.

“(Iowa State) played us in the zone,” Atkins said. “Coach (Karen Aston) always tells me to find the gaps and get a good look, so my teammates kept talking to me and telling me to get in the gaps.”

Both the Longhorn and Cyclone offenses got off to a slow start. Texas climbed to an early 8-2 lead, but Iowa State fought back to tie the game, 20-20, at halftime. Texas head coach Karen Aston said UT’s offense was off-balance and failed to execute in the first half.

“(Iowa State) threw some looks at us that made us a bit uncomfortable and made us rush in the first half,” Aston said. “We executed in the second half … we were a little unsettled in the first half.”

In the second half, the Longhorns more than doubled their first-half points with 23 in the third quarter and 22 in the fourth quarter. The Texas offense stagnated again in the third quarter as Iowa State led by as many as four points. UT closed the quarter with a 7-2 run capped by a three-pointer from senior guard Celina Rodrigo. Texas dominated the fourth quarter, allowing Iowa State to score only 10 points. UT continued to cut down on turnovers, committing just 14 and allowing just six points off turnovers.

“This was a really hard-fought win for our team,” Aston said. “Iowa State played well and had a game plan that worked the whole game until we sort of loosened up a little bit on the offensive end late in the third quarter.”

Texas returns home for a matchup with Oklahoma State on Feb. 10 at 7 p.m. at the Frank Erwin Center. UT only has seven regular-season games left to play, and Aston says the Longhorns need to buckle down and play with urgency throughout the rest of the season.

“Our team has got to find a sense of urgency again – I’m not sure we’re playing with that right now,” Aston said. “Hopefully this was helpful to be on the ropes and have to dig a little bit.”

No. 6 women’s basketball wins at Iowa State for first time since 2009