No. 24 Texas Edges Iowa State, 59-56

Longhorns avoid first-ever 0-3 start in the Big 12

Jan. 16, 2008

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Carla Cortijo scored 13 points, including two key baskets in the final two minutes, and No. 24 Texas won its first Big 12 game by beating Iowa State 59-56 on Wednesday night.

Kathleen Nash added 12 points and 10 rebounds and Brittainey Raven had 10 points and a key block in the final seconds for Texas (13-4, 1-2).

Texas, which had a 10-game winning streak this season before the start of Big 12 play, avoided its first-ever 0-3 league start. First-year coach Gail Goestenkors, who built a powerhouse in 15 seasons at Duke before taking over at Texas, hadn't lost three straight games since the 1996-97 season.

A sloppy game for 37 minutes, the play picked up in the final 3 minutes. Cortijo's 3-pointer with two minutes left put Texas up 55-54. After Iowa State's Alison Lacey scored to retake the lead, Cortijo hit another long jumper to put Texas up for good 57-56.

Nash made one of two free throws with 19 seconds left for Texas' final point that gave the Longhorns a crucial 3-point cushion.

One of the top 3-point shooting teams in the country, Iowa State was just 5 of 22 from long range against a Texas defense that pushed out to challenge each shot. Faced with a last-second shot to tie, a 3-pointer by Iowa State's Denae Stuckey was blocked by Raven to seal the Texas victory.

Kelsey Bolte scored 20 points to lead Iowa State (12-4, 1-2).