After having their focus questioned, the Longhorns have responded with authority.
The Longhorns (9-11, 2-7) are riding a two-game winning streak into their tough rematch with Iowa State (15-5, 6-4). Texas dropped its first game against the Cyclones, 73-65 on Jan. 2.
In their last outing, the Longhorns won a close contest against TCU, 61-56, behind dominating performances by their front-court standouts. Imani McGee-Stafford posted a career-high 23 points and seven blocks, to go along with 13 rebounds.
The performance earned McGee-Stafford Big 12 Freshman of the Week honors for the second straight week.
McGee-Stafford has played consistently well in Big 12 action this season, averaging 11.4 points and a team-leading 9.0 rebounds per contest. In addition, her 21 blocks in the team’s nine conference games have showcased her ability to impact the game on both ends of the floor.
Sophomore Nneka Enemkpali has been equally brilliant during Texas’ current winning streak. After posting 16 points and 13 rebounds in Texas’ win against TCU, Enemkpali leads the Big 12 with 10 double-doubles and is the only player in the conference averaging a double-double for the season, with 14.4 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.
The Longhorns have seen their most success when they attack the glass and play solid defense in the post area. Texas leads the Big 12 in rebounding margin, outrebounding its opponents by a margin of 10.9 rebounds per game. The margin is the seventh best in the country.
Perimeter defense will be a big key against the Cyclones as their leading scorer Hallie Christofferson is averaging 14.8 points a game while shooting 46.2 percent from the three-point line. Texas’ backcourt has shown improved quickness as of late, as it currently has four players with double-digit steals on the season.
If the Longhorns can play in sync and shut down the 31.9 percent three-point shooting attack of the Cyclones, they could very well earn their third straight Big 12 victory.
Published on February 6, 2013 as "Horns up for rematch with ISU".
