Can Texas women’s basketball continue trend of Sunday wins?

By Riley Zayas

Perhaps the Texas women’s basketball team is getting good at the perfect time.

Sure, the Longhorns’ season has had its ups and downs, but now, with just one game left in non-conference action, the team is riding a three-game win streak and ranked 25th in the Associated Press poll. UT just took down Stanford the No. 1 team in the country, last Sunday.

Two weeks ago, the Longhorns won at Tennessee on a Sunday. Can they make it three Sundays in a row this week against Northwestern State?

On paper[s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)], at least, Sunday’s game should not be as much of a challenge as the matchups with Tennessee and Stanford, but no team should be overlooked, especially in the last game before conference play. The Lady Demons should provide a few positives for UT head coach Karen Aston’s squad in its final non-conference game of the season.

Northwestern State has gotten off to a rocky start, going 3-7 and losing its first two games in Southland Conference action. Two of the Lady Demons’ three wins have come against non-Div. I teams, LeTourneau and Central Baptist College, with the only Div. I victory over Jackson State. But Northwestern State has gotten its fair share of games against opponents from Power Five conferences, visiting both Arkansas and Texas Tech early on in the season.

Senior guard Kira Bonner will be the biggest threat to UT, typically playing on the wing and leading the team in scoring with an average of 12.2 points per game. In just her second season in Nacogdoches after playing at the junior college level for two seasons, she has been the team’s most consistent shooter from really anywhere on the floor, connecting on 31% of her field goals. Manning the point guard position will be freshman Tristian Washington, who has hit an unbelievable 52 percent from three-point range this season. Washington also leads the defense, with 11 steals. NSU’s general on the defensive end is forward Jasmyn Johnson, who has two blocked shots, a team-leading 31 steals and 20 defensive rebounds.

However, the size disadvantage will really plague the Lady Demons on both ends of the floor. Bonner is 5-foot-7, Washington is 5-6 and Johnson is 5-8; 6-4 center/forward Halei Gillis, a transfer from Fordham, is the only player on the roster taller than 6-1.

The Longhorns’ biggest advantage will be their height in the post, with 6-5 Charli Collier and 6-3 Joyner Holmes leading the way. As long as UT can continue getting the ball to the paint throughout Sunday’s game, it should be an easy non-conference victory and a mere warmup before the Big 12 games begin in January.

The 1 p.m. game will be broadcast on the Longhorn Network and in Austin on 104.9 The Horn.
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