The lesson from Texas women’s basketball’s game on Saturday is that when a player goes down, there are more waiting in the wings to get her shot.
Tarleton State might have been preparing to face senior forward and three-time All-American Madison Booker, but instead, a different challenge stared the Texans down. They faced off against a fluid lineup of new, young and talented players.
The Longhorns took care of business 91-35 against the Texans this Saturday. While Texas’ offensive performance left much to be desired, the freshmen stepped up, giving Longhorn fans a glimpse of life without Booker.
Booker practiced before the game but did not play as a precaution, as Mark Rosner of the Associated Press first reported.
Against the Texans, head coach Vic Schaefer’s lineup never seemed to be set in stone with Booker unavailable to take a spot. Seven bench players contributed 41 points throughout the match.
With a 56-point separation between the two teams, Schaefer touted his freshmen’s performance and their development so far this season.
“We’re obviously going to need everybody on this team at some point during the season, and it’s really encouraging to see these kids get to play and improve,” Schaefer said. “I’ve been around a lot of freshmen in my life (and) I’m not sure I’ve been around a group as a whole that’s as confident as this group is.”
Experience is what Schaefer has wanted to give to these youngsters so badly, and it finally came today. And even as he works to develop the newbies to their full potential, they held their own against Tarleton State’s aggressive style of play.
Freshman guard Brihanna Crittendon got her first start in burnt orange and made it worth her while, clocking 16 points in 26 minutes. Standing 6-foot-3, Crittendon has already made a splash, scoring 11 points in her first minutes as a Longhorn against Northern Colorado. She followed that up with seven against South Dakota State.
But her role changing to starter had no effect on her headspace going into the game.
“I have the same mentality either way to go and do my job, be an impact player, and just know the right plays defensive(ly), offensively,” Crittendon said.
Against the Texans, Crittendon shot 7-for-11 from beyond the arc. However, ball security was a weak point for Crittendon, giving up three turnovers while recording zero steals.
For a coach who preaches smart defense, Schaefer certainly got what he wanted out of freshman guard Lizzy Spaight. Spaight stole five balls out of the hands of the Texans while also grabbing three rebounds for her team.
“We work on defense every day in practice, so it’s basically (second) nature,” Spaight said. “Defense is an important part of the game, as you know from our coach, so getting those skills impacts our game on the offensive end as well, and puts us into transition, which is what we’re looking for.”
However, shooting was anything but guaranteed for Spaight, who went 1-for-3 from the field and missed her only three-point attempt.
Freshman guard Addison Bjorn, a consistent sub through four regular-season games, went 4-for-8 from the field and made all four of her free throws. Freshman forward Isi Etute has recorded double-digit minutes in every single game this season and shot a career-high 12 points, scoring five field goals and two free throws.
The season only gets more difficult, but for Schaefer, his youngins are doing just fine.
