Horns’ turnover trouble returns
Even in a 28-point victory, Texas coach Karen Aston was concerned about her team’s turnovers during the Longhorns’ 78-50 win over Central Arkansas on Friday.
The Longhorns averaged 15.1 turnovers this season, ranking 137th in the country. They had 21 Friday.
“At this time of the year, there’s such a value that you have to have for the basketball and for possessions,” Aston said. “We went through a long period of time this year where I thought we’d really cleaned up the turnover issue, and then the last couple of games we’ve played, we’ve had some uncharacteristic turnovers.”
Said Texas guard Brianna Taylor, “I think we were just being antsy and impatient. We have to be more disciplined on offense.”
A good debut: North Carolina State guard Dominique Wilson shined in the first NCAA Tournament game of her career. Wilson, who transferred from Arkansas in 2013, didn’t play the last time N.C. State went to the NCAAs in 2014.
She waited three years to play in the tournament. On Friday, it was Auburn that ended up bearing the brunt of that wait; Wilson had 23 points and five rebounds in the Wolfpack’s 62-48 win.
“Pretty good NCAA game,” Wolfpack coach Wes Moore said.
Wilson said she wasn’t nervous or anxious. Just excited. She was also more focused, she said, because “this is your last game. Win or go home.”
She got off to a fast start, scoring seven points in both the first and second quarters. Auburn didn’t have an answer for her.
“The scouting report said she was a scorer,” Auburn head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said. “On every catch she is a threat to score, and that we saw.”
Texas hits the glass: Central Arkansas couldn’t keep Texas off the boards. Not on the offensive end, anyway. The Longhorns had 55 rebounds, 20 of them on offense.
Those boards helped the Horns get 18 second-chance points. Taylor and Ariel Atkins each had two offensive rebounds.
“Our post players are so effective, so teams have to double- and triple-team them, leaving guards open to get offensive rebounds,” Taylor said.
This was the 29th time in 32 games that Texas outrebounded its opponent.
Etc.: Texas has reached 24 victories for the third straight season . ... The Longhorns, who collected 55 rebounds, are 8-0 when retrieving 50 boards . ... McCarty has scored in double figures in 27 of 32 games. ... Kelsey Lang needs three more blocked shots to surpass Tiffany Jackson (181) for sixth place in UT history. ... Olamide Aborowa had a career-best six rebounds to go along with four points and two blocked shots.