Texas College Basketball Capsules: Abrams' 21 points lead No. 7 Texas over Stetson

AUSTIN - The NCAA could move the 3-point line back even farther if it wanted to. Texas sharpshooter A.J. Abrams will just keep taking them and most likely making them.

The Longhorns' career leader in 3-pointers had another big night, hitting five on his way to 21 points as No. 7 Texas opened the season with a 68-38 win over Stetson on Friday.

Abrams didn't look the least bit bothered by the new 3-point distance of 20 feet, 9 inches - a full foot farther back from last season. He even hit two that were easily from NBA range. It was the senior's 18th game with at least five 3-pointers. He now has 289 in his career.

"It's just a couple inches back. For the shooters, it's not a big deal," said Abrams, who scored the game's first basket on a 3-pointer from the left wing. "It's going to weed out some of the big guys from shooting it."

It wasn't much of a problem for Texas 6-foot-10 post Connor Atchley, either. Atchley stepped out to hit three 3-pointers in the second half and finished with 14 points.

"It's all touch," Atchley said.

Texas returns four starters and nine of its top 10 scorers from last season's team that won a school record 31 games and advanced to the NCAA tournament's regional finals. The big loss was last season's Cousy Award winner, point guard D.J. Augustin, who is now in the NBA.

Augustin's departure left Texas leaning on the wispy 5-11 Abrams to help play the point at times, and the offense looked a bit rusty when a couple of early fast breaks broke down. Although Abrams has played the point some in the past, he finished with just one of Texas' nine assists, but didn't have any turnovers.

There were a few other problems for Texas. The Longhorns had 15 turnovers and went just 6-of-16 from the free throw line in scoring the second-fewest points in a season opener in 11 seasons under coach Rick Barnes.

"Everybody keeps talking about that 3-point line," Barnes said. "I'm going to put a rule in to move back the free throw line."

Barnes mostly shrugged off the struggles on offense as first-game issues that can be cleaned up. He was pleased with his defense that held Stetson to 26 percent shooting and just two baskets over the final eight minutes. A.J. Smith scored 12 points for Stetson.

"We didn't run the way we've run in the past. That was the slowest pace we've played so far and I can't really tell you why," Barnes said. "Defensively, if we can have that kind of effort, it will keep us around in a lot of games."

Texas opened up a 24-7 lead when Abrams hit a 3-pointer and followed it with a soft floater in the lane before Stetson closed within eight behind an 11-2 run. Abrams ended the run with an off-balance 3-pointer in the last second of the first half that put Texas up 29-18.

Stetson stayed in a zone defense that allowed Abrams to keep firing away.

"If he gets a crack, it was down," Stetson coach Derek Waugh said. "It's risky to play zone against a shooter who's that good, but we had to pick our poison."

Texas enjoyed a considerable height and strength advantage over the Hatters. The Longhorns have six players 6-7 or taller compared to just three for the Hatters. Texas outrebounded Stetson 37-28 and blocked eight shots.

Still, it was the littlest Longhorn who kept doing the most damage. Abrams hit another 3-pointer from the wing, then stepped inside the line for a soft jumper. Even when Abrams missed a 3-pointer, it rattled around the rim before falling out.

Stetson made four of its first five shots of the second half to stay within striking distance. Atchley and the Texas defense put it away from there. Atchley's last 3-pointer made it 57-36 with six minutes to play.

Abrams said the defending Big 12 co-champions must get better offensively.

"We have to get better, but I think tonight might be due to it being the first game," Abrams said. "It's nothing that can't be solved."

Travis Ford gets first win at Oklahoma State

STILLWATER, Okla. - Travis Ford wants to apologize if he was in his players' faces a little bit more than he would like in his first game as Oklahoma State's head coach.

But he has another message, too: Get used to it.

Byron Eaton scored a career-high 27 points and Oklahoma State pulled away from Texas-San Antonio in the second half to win Ford's debut 76-57 Friday night.

Ford had his emotional moments, pounding the scorer's table after Eaton was called for a foul, jumping into the air when the Cowboys were back on defense and spinning away after another foul against Ibrahima Thomas. And that was just what was visible. There was more that he said that couldn't be heard, except by his players.

"I was a little on edge tonight and ripped a few guys probably pretty quick, but I told them, ‘Get used to it.' I'm pretty intense," Ford said. "My competitive side gets the best of me at times, but I want my passion and my enthusiasm and things to rub off. I do. I want them to know this is who I am."

Ford's players had to adapt on the fly, getting away from his plans for an uptempo attack when the Roadrunners (0-1) came out and slowed the pace.

The Cowboys (1-0) fell behind by eight early but used a 12-0 run shortly after halftime to take control of the game.

Terrel Harris scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half, Thomas added 14 points and James Anderson had 10 points for Oklahoma State.

Devin Gibson and Travis Gabbidon led UTSA with 14 points apiece, and Omar Johnson scored 13.

Harris had all of the Cowboys' points in an 8-2 spurt that pushed the lead to 53-34 midway through the second half.

The Roadrunners got hot from 3-point range and closed to within 10 points after that, but Eaton closed the door by scoring the next five points.

"I gave him a lot of freedom, but who wouldn't? We don't win the game probably without the effort he gave," Ford said. "I think Byron's one of the elite point guards in the country."

Eaton lost 35 pounds in the offseason and was able to knife his way into the Roadrunners' defense much of the night. He went 9-for-15 from the field and also had four assists and four steals.

While Ford said he thought he was edgier than usual because he wanted his debut to go well, his players didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

"I was down there on the treadmill running and he just told me, ‘You better get used to it.' It was just the way that he said it," Eaton said. "Even in practice, I think he was tougher on us during practice than he was today. I think everybody on the team is used to it.

"Every coach you're going to have is going to say something that you get mad at, but when you hear it every day you get used to it."

Harris suggested that Ford's fiery ways might have even helped the Cowboys play better.

"When he says something to you, it might be a little disrespectful, it might rub you the wrong way, but instead of getting mad, it just makes you want to play harder for him," he said. "That's the difference. He brings out the best in you."

Ford, who was hired away from Massachusetts, warned that it could take some time to implement his fast-paced offense and pressure defense. Texas-San Antonio did him no favors by using a slower pace that the Cowboys weren't prepared to handle.

Gabbidon hit a pair of 3-pointers as the Roadrunners took an 11-3 lead, but the Cowboys responded with 10 straight points - even with Harris on the bench after picking up two fouls in the first 3 minutes.

Ford spun around and pounded the scorer's table when Eaton picked up his second foul away from the basket a few minutes later, but he put his star point guard back into the game within 3 minutes after UTSA pulled back into the lead.

Eaton didn't pick up another foul the rest of the game and finished another 10-0 run with a layup and a 3-pointer from the left wing that made it 27-21, flapping his arms to encourage the crowd as he drifted back on defense. The Cowboys didn't trail again on their way to winning their 34th straight home opener and 14th straight season opener.

"For us to be able to change totally the style of basketball against a good ballclub and be able to win, I'm happy with the outcome, very happy with it," said Ford, who was given a game ball by his players.

Oklahoma State has won all six of the games in its series against UTSA, which is coached by former Cowboys guard Brooks Thompson.

"For us to beat them and I think for most teams to beat them, they're going to have to be able to control the tempo instead of allowing Oklahoma State to control the tempo. There's no doubt about that," Thompson said.

"I didn't come in here feeling that we had to sit and stall or do anything like that because we were not as good or we were inferior. We did that because I think that's the way you beat a (fast-paced) team."

-- Jeff Latzke

Nelson scores 14 points to lead Islanders

CORPUS CHRISTI - Jawan Nelson scored 14 points for Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, which beat Texas A&M-Kingsville 83-64 in the Islanders' season opener.

Kevin Palmer scored 13 points and Justin Reynolds and Tim Green had 11 points each for the Islanders.

Robert Williams scored 15 points and Adam Morris had 14 to lead Texas A&M-Kingsville.

The Islanders outrebounded the Javelinas 50-32 and opened up a 41-18 lead at halftime.

It was an exhibition game for the Division II Javelinas and will not count on their season record.

TCU outlasts Western Michigan, 67-63

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Texas Christian outscored Western Michigan 17-9 in the final 4:03 to beat the Broncos 67-63 in the first round of the Charleston Classic Friday at Carolina First Arena.

Edvinas Ruzgas led TCU (1-0) with 16 points, while David Kool led the Broncos (0-1) with 24. TCU guard Jason Ebie made three of four free throws and came up with a steal in the final 37 seconds to help clinch it for the Horned Frogs.

Friday's game between the Horned Frogs and the Broncos was the first played in the College of Charleston's recently-completed Carolina First Arena.

TCU (will play at 8 p.m. Saturday against the winner of Friday night's game between Clemson and Hofstra. Western Michigan will play at 5:30 p.m. against the Clemson-Hofstra loser.

South Florida cruises past SMU 60-46

TAMPA, Fla. - South Florida beat Southern Methodist 60-46 in the season opener for both teams as the Bulls' Jesus Verdejo scored 18 points, 11 of which came in the second half.

Verdejo scored 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to twice put the Bulls ahead by 14.

Dominique Jones chipped in with 13 for the Bulls. South Florida converted six of their 21 3-point attempts, four of which came from Verdejo.

Derek Williams scored 13 points and fellow guard Paul McCoy had 10 to pace the Mustangs, who hit only 27.7 percent (13-for-47) from the field.

Alex Rivas Sanchez hit back-to-back shots to give South Florida its first lead, 18-17, with 6:44 left in the first half. The Bulls led 32-23 at the break despite missing 10 of 12 attempts from behind the arc.

The two teams last met in 1987, with SMU beating South Florida 87-66.

Corey Allmond ties school record in Bearkats' win

HUNTSVILLE - Corey Allmond tied a school record for most 3-pointers in a game, scoring 24 points to lead Sam Houston State to a 100-42 victory over Schreiner College on Friday.

Allmond scored on eight 3-pointers, tying a school record set by Derick Preston in 1944 and Derrick Williams in 1988. He also had four assists and two rebounds for the Bearkats (1-0).

Riley Battle was the only player to score in double digits for Schreiner (0-1). He scored 10 points on 5-of-16 shooting and grabbed six rebounds in the game.

Williams wins in coaching debut with Marquette

MILWAUKEE - Wesley Matthews scored a career-high 27 points and No. 16 Marquette rolled past Houston Baptist 95-64 Friday night in Buzz Williams' debut as the Golden Eagles' head coach.

Jerel McNeal had 20 points and Lazar Hayward added 19 points and 12 rebounds for Marquette. The Golden Eagles never trailed and broke open the game with a 14-0 spurt to start the second half.

Matthews added a career-high eight assists and five steals.

Williams took over in April, shortly after Tom Crean became the head coach at Indiana. Williams was an assistant under Crean last season and served as head coach at the University of New Orleans in 2006-07.

Williams inherited an experienced team returning its top four scorers from a year ago, including three senior guards - McNeal, Matthews and Dominic James - who have each scored more than 1,000 points at Marquette. The Golden Eagles finished 25-10 in 2007-08 and lost to Stanford in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Gordon Watt led Houston Baptist with 17 points and Baron Sauls added 15.

Matthews and McNeal combined for nine points at the start of the second half, turning a 42-34 lead into a 56-34 cushion. Houston Baptist lost the ball five times and missed all four of its shots during the spurt.

Matthews, whose previous career high was 22 points, made 7 of 11 shots, including a pair of 3-pointers, and 11 of 12 free throws.

Marquette forced 25 turnovers and tallied 13 steals. James tied a career high with six steals. Jimmy Butler, a junior college transfer, had 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting.

Demetrus Judge had 10 points and 10 rebounds for Houston Baptist, which is in the midst of the transition from NAIA Division I to playing a full NCAA Division I schedule this season.

Houston Baptist, which went 13-15 last season, joined the Great West Conference in July. The Huskies also competed at the NCAA Division I level from 1973-89.

Marquette, a guard-oriented team already lacking in size, played without two freshmen big men: 6-foot-10 center Chris Otule will miss several weeks after injuring his left foot in practice last week and 6-foot-7 forward Joseph Fulce is out with a knee injury.

WOMEN

Texas sharp-shooting guard makes comeback

AUSTIN - Texas guard Erika Arriaran sat slumped in a chair and stared straight ahead. The frustration of injuries and unmet expectations soon bubbled to the surface.

"I feel like," Arriaran said, "I've wasted my years at this school."

It was a sobering statement from a former national high school player of the year. It was also an honest and emotional one coming from an athlete desperate to live up to the promise she brought to the Longhorns when she signed with Texas four years ago.

After sitting out most of the last two seasons because of a knee injury and a long period of rehabilitation, Arriaran is finally ready to make her official return Saturday night when No. 13 Texas opens the season against Dayton.

"Erika is so happy to be back. It's going to help us so much," Longhorns coach Gail Goestenkors said. "She's the best shooter I've ever coached."

That's high praise coming from a coach who built Duke into a powerhouse before taking over the Texas program last season.

A few years ago, Arriaran was expected to be one of the best Longhorns to play the game. Her "wasted years" comment came when she was asked if she thinks people might have wondered whatever became of her.

A 5-foot-10 guard with a marksman's aim from the 3-point line, Arriaran was the Parade Magazine national player of the year as a senior at Norco High School in California.

She was a streaky shooter as a freshman and had a lot to learn about playing defense. Injuries and inexperience throughout the lineup that season dropped Texas to a losing record.

It was not what Arriaran or anyone expected. Things got even worse on Jan. 7, 2007.

Her sophomore season ended with just 31 seconds left in a win over Purdue when she twisted her left knee and slumped to the floor. She didn't know it yet, but the anterior cruciate ligament was torn, ending her season.

Surgery started the long road back, one that was pocked by emotional potholes. Erika had watched her sister Natasia, who also played basketball, struggle to recover from a similar injury in high school.

Her sister was able to recover enough to play at Division II Cal Baptist, but Erika believed the injury had ruined her sister's joy of the game.

"It was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life," Arriaran said of the long months rehabbing her damaged knee. "I was so angry ... I didn't think I was going to be able to make it back. But I also knew I couldn't roll over and give up. I had committed to this school."

Then came another blow. Barely two months after her injury, tears streamed down Arriaran's face during a news conference with the team when the coach who signed her, Hall of Famer Jody Conradt, announced her retirement after 31 seasons at Texas.

Then came the long haul that tested her patience. The blow of Conradt's retirement was softened when Texas hired Goestenkors, who Arriaran knew from her days trying out for the women's national team and playing in the under-19 world championships.

But while Goestenkors was pumping new life in the program last season and guiding Texas back into the NCAA tournament, Arriaran still wasn't ready to play and sat on the bench during a redshirt season.

Arriaran desperately wanted to play but wasn't ready physically. She says watching the game was invaluable because she learned how to think like a coach.

"She's such a tough kid," Goestenkors said. "She and I have bonded. I have great respect for Erika and all that she went through sitting out. She feels like she's been given a second chance, to come back and be healthy and she really wants to make the most of it."

Arriaran's return should give the Longhorns the dangerous 3-point shooter they needed last season. She averaged 11.2 points in her first season and a half, and her 72 career 3-pointers in that span already rank her No. 10 at Texas.

"I'm proud of her," said teammate Carla Cortijo. "She loves the game so much and is such a great shooter."

Arriaran said she was excited and nervous in Texas' 86-45 exhibition win over the Houston Jaguars club team. She missed her first eight shots and went scoreless in the first half before finishing with 10 points. She was 0-6 on 3-pointers.

"I know that as a shooter you're going to have ‘off' days and you're going to have ‘on' days," she said. "It feel really good to get back out on the court."

-- Jim Vertuno

LaFleur leads TCU in upset of No. 3 Maryland

FORT WORTH - TK LaFleur was dribbling the ball in the closing seconds of her first game at TCU when it finally hit her: The Lady Frogs had upset Maryland.

"In the last 20 seconds, I was in shock," LaFleur said. "I was like we've just beaten the No. 3 team in the nation."

LaFleur scored 28 points in the 80-68 victory over Maryland on Friday night in the season opener for both teams. The Lady Frogs led throughout after LaFleur hit the opening shot of the game.

This certainly wasn't the kind of start Kristi Toliver, a preseason All-American, and the Terrapins wanted after last season when they were 33-4 and reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament for the second time in three years.

"Obviously we didn't come out with that same sense of urgency that they did and they really capitalized on it," Toliver said. "It's an extremely disappointing start. ... It's better that we start the season this way than end it. We're going to stay as optimistic as possible."

TCU scored the game's first 11 points. They opened second half with a 9-0 run, ending any thoughts of a Maryland comeback.

The frustration was evident on Toliver's face, especially after she dribbled a ball off her foot early in the second half.

For TCU, it was a huge victory to start coach Jeff Mittie's 10th season as the Lady Frogs matched the highest-ranked opponent they have ever beaten.

"I didn't see this win coming necessarily," Mittie said, smiling.

LaFleur, a junior who sat out last season after transferring from Nebraska, made 10 of 17 shots, including four 3-pointers. Helen Sverrisdottir added 18 points, Emily Carter 12 and Eboni Mangum 10.

Marissa Coleman led Maryland with 15 points, and freshman Lynetta Kizer had 12 points and 15 rebounds. Toliver finished with 11 points on 4-of-16 shooting.

Sure it was only one game, but there were a lot of problems in the opener for Maryland, a team depending on three sophomores and four freshmen to surround seniors Toliver and Coleman. The Terps shot only 34 percent (22-of-64) and had 17 turnovers.

"Obviously we showed our youth and lost a lot of poise and a lot of confidence," coach Brenda Frese said. "Hopefully we're able to learn from this and be able to move on and get better."

LaFleur made the opening shot 11 seconds into the game. She hit another basket a minute later, and the Frogs led 11-0 after Micah Garoutte's jumper with 17:14 left.

Maryland had turnovers on each of its first three possessions without getting off a shot. The Terrapins were 0-for-5 shooting with five turnovers, before Kizer made two free throws 3:11 into the game. Toliver and Coleman had two turnovers each in that early stretch.

Toliver's bounce pass to Drey Mingo in the closing minute of the first half cut it to 33-28. It was Toliver's third assist of the game and 584th of her career, one more than Debbie Lytle's school record set from 1980-83.

Rachel Rentschler had a putback of her own miss for TCU before Toliver missed a layup at the buzzer.

Like she did to start the game, LaFleur made two quick shots after halftime. Those were both 3-pointers, the second with 18:28 left putting the Lady Frogs up 44-28. Maryland never got closer than 10 after that, even when scoring eight straight points midway through the second half.

"We knew we wanted to come out first 5 minutes (after halftime) like we did the first half," LaFleur said.

Before Mittie arrived, TCU had only four winning seasons and had never been to the NCAA tournament. The Lady Frogs have since had nine consecutive winning seasons, including seven straight NCAA trips from 2001-07 before going to the NIT last season with five seniors.

This was the third time under Mittie that the Lady Frogs played at home against a top-three team. They lost by 40 points to No. 2 Duke in 2005 and by 22 to top-ranked Tennessee in 2000.

"We don't want this to be the peak of our season," Mittie said. "If we'll continue to grow as a team and file that one away, I think we'll be a good basketball team."

-- Stephen Hawkins

White, Gant lead Texas A&M past Mercer

COLLEGE STATION - Tyra White scored 13 points and Danielle Gant added 12 as No. 11 Texas A&M defeated Mercer 73-45 in both teams' season opener Friday night.

The Aggies, who received their Big 12 tournament champion and NCAA regional final rings before the game, led 20-2 eight minutes in. They were up 41-15 at halftime thanks to nine points from forward Tanisha Smith, a junior-college transfer.

Texas A&M outrebounded undersized Mercer 45-32. The Bears had 29 turnovers and the Aggies 22 in the sloppy opener. Texas A&M guard Sydney Colson played eight minutes only four months after major surgery on her right knee. The Bears, who were 4-26 last season, were led by Natasha Doh's 15 points.

No. 19 Baylor wins opener

WACO - Rachel Allison scored 18 points and had 13 rebounds, and Morghan Madlock had 14 points with 16 rebounds in her Baylor debut as the No. 19 Lady Bears opened their season with a 90-45 victory over Florida Atlantic on Friday night.

The Lady Bears scored the game's first six points, and already had a double-digit lead when Allison converted a three-point play 6:34 into the game to make it 14-3.

Florida Atlantic (0-1) got a three-point play from Candance Lambert on its next possession, but Allison then hit a 3-pointer and the lead continued to grow for Baylor, which led 45-21 at halftime.

Danielle Wilson added 12 points and seven rebounds for Baylor, which had a 70-33 rebounding advantage.

Breana Turner had 14 points, the only player in double figures for Florida Atlantic, which shot only 27 percent (17-of-63).

Brown scores 18 to lead Texas Tech over Idaho

LUBBOCK - Maddy Brown scored 18 points for Texas Tech, which defeated Idaho 90-55 on Friday night in the season opener for both teams.

Brown tied a career high with five 3-pointers. Kierra Mallard added 16 points, and Dominic Seals scored 12 of her 14 points in the first half for the Lady Raiders.

Jordan Barncastle and Jordan Murphree each had 13 points, and Maria Moore had seven assists for Texas Tech.

Yinka Olorunnife and Derisa Taleni both scored 12 points to lead the Vandals.

The Lady Raiders opened the game with an 8-0 run and were up 45-27 by halftime.