Coming off a narrow victory in Fort Worth, the No. 12 Longhorns return home Sunday for a rematch against No. 22 West Virginia.

Texas moved to 9–0 in conference play for the first time in program history on Wednesday with a 77-69 win over TCU.

The Horned Frogs proved to be a far tougher matchup in the second meeting between the two teams, holding the Longhorns to just 30 percent shooting from behind the arc and 45 percent from the free throw line.

“I think that our young players are getting better, all of our new ones are starting to get more comfortable,” head coach Karen Aston said in a press conference on Tuesday.
“But in the same breath I think our older players are the ones who have matured.”

That growth was on full display on Wednesday evening as junior guard Ariel Atkins scored 10 of her team-high 17 points in the fourth quarter, including seven straight down the stretch to put Texas ahead for good.

Freshmen forward Joyner Holmes also put on a show for Texas despite some early foul trouble. Holmes recorded her fifth double-double of the season, scoring 15 points and grabbing a game-high 14 rebounds in 31 minutes of play.

Entering Sunday’s matchup, Texas may not be able to lean on the glass control it’s enjoyed for the majority of games this season. The Longhorns rank second in the Big 12 in rebounding advantage at plus 12.2. West Virginia sits not far behind with an average margin of plus 8.1.  

  The Mountaineers are one of only two teams to beat the Longhorns on the boards this season, out-rebounding the burnt orange 35-28 in their last meeting.
West Virginia also presents a tough defense, holding opponents to an average 59.4 points per game.

The Mountaineers sit at fifth place in the Big 12, touting a 4–5 conference record after a win against Texas Tech on Wednesday.  

The Longhorns, who enter Sunday’s matchup tied for first in the conference with No. 2 Baylor, look to extend their winning streak to 14 games. The only home loss for the Longhorns this season came in December against then-No. 3 South Carolina.

Despite the stretch of wins, Aston continues to put emphasis on each individual game.

“I think that it’s really, really important that our team continues to just take one day at a time.”

Aston said. The Longhorns host the Mountaineers on Sunday at 3 p.m. at the Frank Erwin Center.