AUSTIN, Texas – Northwestern State's start at No. 11 Texas was much smoother than its previous outing at SMU.
Its third-quarter performance followed the same script.
However, a rough second quarter for NSU helped jumpstart the Longhorns, who cruised to an 86-33 victory Wednesday in front of a vociferous school-children-laden crowd of 7,582 at the Frank Erwin Center.
"It was a perfect opportunity for our team to grow," fourth-year co-head coach
Brooke Stoehr said. "Coming off a tough loss at SMU on Sunday, you're a little concerned about how your team will respond when they go play the No. 11 team in the country. I was really proud of our kids. I thought we started the game extremely well. Our kids competed. They were ready to play."
Northwestern State (1-2) was within six points with 1:08 to play in the first quarter after
Beatrice Attura knocked down a 3-pointer to pull NSU to within 17-11.
Consecutive turnovers allowed Texas (2-0) to end the quarter with a 5-0 spurt before taking control of the game by outscoring Northwestern State 27-1 in the second quarter.
In that quarter, Texas took advantage of its superior size to clog NSU's offense and open up the Longhorns' transition game. Combined with a 25-point, 14-rebound performance by 6-foot-7 center Imani Boyette, Texas outscored Northwestern State 50-8 in the paint and outrebounded NSU 47-18.
Despite the size issues, Northwestern State opened the second half with another strong performance. Attura (15 points) knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers early in the quarter and finished 3-for-6 from beyond the arc.
As a team, NSU entered Wednesday's game 1-for-18 on 3-pointers before hitting 4 of its 16 3-point tries against Texas.
Attura's total put her in double figures for the third time in as many games. Freshman
Emerald Mayfield chipped in nine points and
Janelle Perez had seven for NSU, equaling her total through the first two games.
"Janelle was more aggressive today," Stoehr said. "These games are tough on (Perez and Attura), because we ask a lot of them. Those two led us from the tip with their demeanor and their competitive nature. That's what we need from them."
In addition to Boyette, who hit 12 of her 13 field-goal attempts, Brooke McCarty chipped in 15 points and Brianna Taylor had 11 for Texas.
Northwestern State returns to action Saturday when it hosts LSU-Alexandria in the first of a two-game homestand. Tipoff for Saturday's game is at 11 a.m. in Prather Coliseum.
