Prior to the Texas women’s basketball game against Texas Tech on Wednesday, the Daily Texan sat down with Andrew Fallon, a sports reporter for The Daily Toreador, Texas Tech’s online student newspaper.  

The Daily Texan: The last time Texas and Texas Tech played each other, the Longhorns lost in Lubbock. Do you think home court advantage plays a big role?  

Andrew Fallon: Yeah, absolutely, especially in the last meeting when the Lady Raiders won that nail biter. Up to that point, it was the biggest crowd that they had seen all season long. When Kilah Freelon hit that big shot at crunch time, the crowd just erupted. In that moment, that can define what homecourt advantage really means in these kinds of matchups. I think the game being in Austin will have that same kind of effect. 

DT: How has the team’s success been on the road as compared to at home?

AF: I mean, honestly, they’re a hit or miss every night. They are 11-4 at home, but not a lot of those wins have come from conference plays. They had a big stretch this season where they had eight home games in a row and the last one was the only Big 12 game, so not a whole lot of those wins have come from conference play. Away, they’re 3-3, so whether they’re home or away, you just never know.   

DT: Who should we be on the lookout for on Wednesday?

AF: Definitely Bre’Amber Scott, she has been on an absolute tear this season working her tail off every night, so look out for her. Bailey Maupin, the freshman out of Gruver High School, had an ankle injury that she had to deal with, but she’s played in the past couple games. She’s been improving really, really well and (was improving) even up to before she got injured. Also Bryn Gerlich, coach Gerlich’s daughter, has been on fire from the three-point range. 

DT: Is there anything specific that you think the Lady Raiders could improve on from what you’ve seen?

AF: They turn over the ball a lot, so just improving the turnovers would be a great start. There’ll be games where the turnover margin isn’t that bad and then the next game they’ll have 25, 26 turnovers. That’s been their biggest issue … I think it’s just not being able to take care of the ball. 

DT: From your perspective, how has Coach Gerlich handled the team this season?

AF: She’s very complimentary of her players. Obviously she gives constructive criticism when it needs to be said, but she’s never really ridiculed any player of hers, and that’s just awesome. She has addressed the turnovers and has mentioned it as something they need to work on, but again, that’s just been their main issue.