The No. 14 Longhorns look to rebound at home on Wednesday as they take on Northwestern State to kick off a two-game home stretch.
Texas hopes to bounce back after falling to then-No. 10 Mississippi State on the road Sunday night 68-79. The loss to the Bulldogs marked Texas’ second top-15 matchup in less than a week, with a slew of ranked opponents still on the slate.
After Sunday night’s loss in Starkville, Mississippi, head coach Karen Aston said the Longhorns’ difficult non-conference road schedule is a good opportunity for her players — especially her newcomers — to gain experience and exposure before conference play commences.
“This is the reason we played this schedule,” Aston said. “So we would give these young kids a real taste of what it’s like to play on somebody’s home court. We’ll grow from this.”
Northwestern State will hit the road for the first time this season as it travels to Austin. The Lady Demons are coming off a 93-42 victory over Central Baptist and are 3-0 after starting their season with a three games at home. The Lady Demons have shown innate ability to score in their first three contests and have three players on the roster who are averaging double-digit points. Senior guard Beatrice Attura leads Northwestern State in scoring and assists, averaging 18.3, and 6.6, respectively.
The Longhorns have outrebounded their opponents in all three games this season, largely behind the grit and grind of freshman forward Joyner Holmes. With three games under her belt, Holmes is proving to be a force under the basket for the Longhorns, averaging 15.5 points and 9 rebounds since transitioning into the starting lineup. Holmes played a career-high 31 minutes against Mississippi State, scoring nine points and hauling in eight rebounds.
Holmes is one of three Texas players averaging double-digit points, alongside junior guards Brooke McCarty and Ariel Atkins. McCarty, who was the Longhorns’ leading scorer last season, has emerged as the team’s go-to scorer again this year, averaging 18.3 points on 32.3 minutes.
Texas and Northwestern State hit the court at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at the Frank Erwin Center.
